Avandia: Current Litigation, Status of the MDL and Future Trials Teleconference
by Kristi on 29/11/08 at 9:00 pm
Avandia: Current Litigation, Status of the MDL and Future Trials
Recording Date: March 26, 2009
Audio Package $149
Transcript $49
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Agenda and Speakers
Overview of Avandia Litigation
- FDA Labeling
- Liability update, case selection & criteria
- The science of Avandia
- Venue and MDL filings
- Discovery in re Avandia Sales and Marketing MDL 1871
- Electronically Stored Information Issues (ESI)
Moderator: Bryan F. Aylstock, Esq., Aylstock, Witkin, Kreis & Overholtz, P.L.C., Gulf Breeze, FL
Joseph J. Zonies, Esq., Reilly Pozner, LLP, Denver
Neil Overholtz, Esq., Aylstock, Witkin, Kreis & Overholtz, P.L.C., Pensacola, FL
Thomas E. Mellon, Jr., Esq., Mellon, Webster & Shelly, Doylestown, PA
Tracy D. Rezvani, Esq., Finkelstein Thompson LLP, Washington, DC
Bryan Aylstock earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in history from the University of North Florida in 1992 (magna cum laude), and graduated number one in his law school section at the University of Florida in May, 1995. During law school, Mr. Aylstock was both an associate and a senior editor of the Florida Law Review publishing an article on the case of Fabre v. Marin, 623 So.2d 1182 (Fla. 1993), one of most significant cases to affect the area of personal injury law in Florida over the past ten years. Prior to graduation, Mr. Aylstock received the American Jurisprudence Award in Constitutional Law, became a member of The Order of the Coif, worked as a defense counsel for the University of Florida Honor Court, and was installed as a Teaching Fellow. After completing law school, he was accepted as an Honors Intern at the United States Department of Justice, where he worked for the Director of the Federal Tort Claims Act Division on such high profile matters as the Ruby Ridge and Waco cases. Upon completion of his tenure at the Department of Justice, Mr. Aylstock served as a judicial clerk for the Honorable Roger Vinson, Chief Judge for the United States District Court, Northern District of Florida. Mr. Aylstock is presently licensed to practice before all State and Federal Courts in Florida, having passed the Florida Bar with the highest score in Florida’s First Appellate District. He is also licensed to practice before all Alabama and Mississippi State and Federal Courts, the United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. Mr. Aylstock is a member of the American Inns of Court, the American Association for Justice, and the Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers. Mr. Aylstock specializes in pharmaceutical and medical device litigation, having successfully handled thousands of diet drug (Fen Phen), silicone gel breast implant and diabetes drug (Rezulin) cases over the course of his career. Mr.Aylstock limits his practice to the areas of: wrongful death and personal injury and is currently involved in the following matters: Ford Truck Litigation, Vioxx, Fen-Phen and Automobile Negligence.
Joseph Zonies is a partner with Reilly Pozner LLP and leads the firm’s mass tort and personal injury practice groups. In addition, he has litigated cases against and on behalf of large corporations, including a number of Fortune 500 companies. Joe recently was appointed to the Plaintiffs Steering Committee in the Avandia mass tort litigation in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. As one of the leaders in this multi-district litigation, he chairs a number of critical committees. In addition, Joe has represented hundreds of clients in other pharmaceutical mass tort litigations, including Baycol, Zyprexa, Vioxx and Ephedra where he has recovered millions of dollars for his clients. As part of his class action practice, Joe was appointed as class counsel against a national office retailer where the class recovered over $3 million in unpaid overtime wages. He also represents the interests of individuals who have been injured or killed by the wrongful conduct of others. Joe has represented individuals or survivors of those killed in car, bicycle, truck and motorcycle accidents. He also has represented those injured as the result of medical malpractice and dangerous conditions on properties. Joe earned his B.A. in Communications and Theater from the University of Notre Dame. After spending several years acting and producing and directing music videos, he attended the University of Denver College of Law. There, he graduated first in his law school class. During this time, he earned the highest grade in his class in eleven courses ranging from Torts and Securities Regulation to Tax and Water Law. After law school, Joe clerked for the Honorable John C. Porfilio in the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. Joe lives in Broomfield, Colorado with his wife and their four children. He enjoys barely surviving triathlons that are far beyond his capabilities and occasionally appears on television as an actor.
Neil Overholtz specializes in pharmaceutical litigation, and has successfully handled thousands of fen-phen diet drug cases. In 2001, Mr. Overholtz was a member of the successful trial team whose work resulted in a $43 Million jury verdict against the manufacturer of the diabetes drug, Rezulin, in Corpus Christi, Texas. Additionally, Mr. Overholtz has served as co-lead counsel in the In Re America Online, Inc Version 5.0 Software Litigation, MDL Docket No. 1341 (S.D. Fla), helping to negotiate a cash settlement for affected AOL members in excess of $15 Million as well as significant injunctive relief. Mr. Overholtz is currently the co-chair of the Defective Medtronic Pacemakers and Defibrillators MDL discovery committee, and is leading the firm’s efforts in national litigation. Mr. Overholtz is a member of the Plaintiff’s Steering Committee in the In Re Viagra MDL litigation. He is also co-chair of the AAJ Bausch & Lomb Contact Lens Solution Litigation Group. Mr. Overholtz limits his practice to the areas of: pharmaceutical litigation, medical device litigation, consumer class actions, wrongful death and personal injury; and is currently involved in the following matters: Vioxx, Guidant and Medtronic Defective and Recalled Defibrillators, Viagra NAION Vision Loss Cases, Bausch & Lomb ReNu Contact Lens Solution, and Medical Malpractice claims. He is currently investigating claims based on the recent Permax recall and the Zelnorm Recall by the FDA. Mr. Overholtz is currently the co-chair of the Defective Medtronic Pacemakers and Defibrillators MDL discovery committee, and is leading the efforts in national litigation. Mr. Overholtz limits his practice to the areas of: pharmaceutical litigation, medical device litigation, consumer class actions, wrongful death and personal injury and is currently involved in the following matters: Ford Truck Litigation, Vioxx, Bextra, Fen-Phen, Ephedra, Guidant and Medtronic Defibrillators and Medical Malpractice Claims. Mr. Overholtz received his BA in Political Science (minor in History) with Honors from the University of South Alabama and graduated from the Stetson University College of Law in 1999. Before attending college, Mr. Overholtz graduated Valedictorian from Crestview High School in Crestview, FL.
Thomas E. Mellon, Jr., is the founding partner of Mellon, Webster & Shelly. He received a Bachelor of Science degree from St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia and his law degree from Georgetown University. In 1974, Tom also earned a Master of Law degree from Harvard Law School. After completing a clerkship in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, with the Honorable William H. Hastie, Thomas was an instructor at Suffolk University School of Law where he taught two classes: “Legal Research and Analysis” and “The Art of Negotiations.” He joined the United States Attorney’s office in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania where he quickly rose to the positions of Chief, Narcotics Unit and Chief, Criminal Division. For the past twenty years, Thomas has been in private practice in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. He has represented plaintiffs throughout the United States in federal and state courts. His practice focuses on the representation of plaintiffs in personal injury actions and commercial litigation. He has achieved successful awards and settlements for clients in both class actions and individual suits. In 1994, Thomas became an influential leader in the fight against American tobacco companies. He was instrumental in obtaining an unprecedented award against the tobacco companies on behalf of plaintiffs. In addition, Thomas has successfully represented clients in suits against American Home Products as a result of injuries suffered by consumers after taking the diet drug Fen-Phen. Thomas has lectured throughout the country before many bar associations and universities.
Tracy D. Rezvani joined Finkelstein Thompson LLP in September 1996. Ms. Rezvani practices in the fields of consumer, antitrust and securities fraud litigation. She is a 1993 graduate of the University of Maryland-College Park where she received a Bachelor of Scinece degree in Business & Management. Ms. Rezvani then attended the George Washington University Law School where she received her Juris Doctor in May 1996. At George Washington University, Ms. Rezvani was a member editor of The George Washington Journal of International Law & Economics. Ms. Rezvani is a member of the District of Columbia and Maryland Bars and is admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, and the U.S. District Courts for the District of Maryland, the District of Columbia, and the District of Colorado. Ms Rezvani served as an editor for the Iranian-American Bar Association’s IABA Review from 2005 to 2007. Ms. Rezvani writes and speaks regularly regarding consumer litigation. Her Summer 2006 Brown Bag luncheon presentation at the District of Columbia Bar, Antitrust and Consumer Law Section focused on “representative” actions brought by “private attorneys general” pursuant to the District of Columbia Consumer Protection Procedures Act.
