Torrey defends clients in complex product liability actions, specializing in pharmaceutical drug and surgical device litigations. She has represented manufacturers in federal and state court, including large multidistrict litigations, coordinated state court proceedings and class action lawsuits.  

Torrey is co-lead national counsel for In re: Taxotere (Docetaxel) Eye Injury Litig. (MDL 3023) (“Taxotere II”), where she successfully argued in front of the Judicial Panel of Multidistrict Litigation (JPML).  She conducted Taxotere II’s Science Day presentation with the nation’s leading expert. Torrey is involved in all stages of litigation, from initial case assessment, motion practice and bellwether work up, to company witness preparation, international depositions and trial work. She has successfully drafted dispositive motions for multiple clients in jurisdictions across the U.S., including two landmark MDL orders.

Torrey spends a significant amount of her time in engaged in various trials across the country.  She has worked on numerous trial teams for MDLs, consolidated state court proceedings, and remanded cases. As a key member of the Taxotere multidistrict litigation, Torrey was part of the team that obtained two complete defense verdicts in the first bellwether trials, which was reported in First Taxotere Bellwether Trial Ends in Defense Verdict, and Sanofi-Aventis Wins Second Taxotere Verdict in Jury Bellwether, in Law.com. Likewise, she was part of the team that obtained a complete defense verdict in a six-week Roundup trial. 

In 2021, she was awarded the firm’s Award for Excellence in Professional Development, as someone “who demonstrate a tireless commitment to the professional growth and development of Shook attorneys and professional staff.”  It was remarked Torrey “fearlessly volunteers to take on challenges that will give her the opportunity to learn, grow professionally, and sharpen her litigation skills.”

Specializing in the pharmaceutical and medical device field, Torrey attended Mini-Medical School at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, gaining insight and training in medicine, patient care and surgical techniques from the school’s distinguished faculty.  

Torrey participated in her law school’s civil litigation clinic, where she first-chaired a trial and won, and later was named the school’s Student of the Year. She also interned for the Hon. Rodney W. Sippel, Chief Judge for the U.S. District Court of Missouri, Eastern District. 

Representative Matters

Defense verdict in six-week trial involving claimed use of Roundup and the development of Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Plaintiff sought more than $160 million in damages. Shelton v. Monsanto - Circuit Court of Jackson County, Missouri.  

Defense verdict for Sanofi when a Louisiana jury returned a defense verdict in two hours after a multiweek trial in the first bellwether trial in multidistrict litigation involving allegations that the breast cancer chemotherapy drug Taxotere causes permanent hair loss (Shook Wins Bellwether Trial in Taxotere MDL)Earnest v. Sanofi Aventis U.S. LLC, No. 16-17144 (E.D. La.); In re Taxotere (docetaxel) Prods. Liab. Litig., MDL No. 2740.

Defense verdict for Sanofi when a Louisiana jury returned a defense verdict in the second bellwether Taxotere MDL trial in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana (Sanofi-Aventis Wins Second Taxotere Verdict in Jury Bellwether) involving allegations that the breast cancer chemotherapy drug Taxotere causes permanent hair loss. Kahn v. Sanofi Aventis U.S. LLC, No. 16-17144 (E.D. La.); In re Taxotere (docetaxel) Prods. Liab. Litig., MDL No. 2740.

Presentations and Publications  

The Importance Of MDL Bellwether Trial Opening Statements And Closing Arguments, DRI's For the Defense, September 2022

Trial Practice for Associates “In the Trenches”, The Future of Trial Practice in Pharmaceutical Drug  and Device Litigation, June 23, 2022 (with Chris McRea). 

Building a Fulfilling and Productive Career, Women in Litigation Forum 2021, Benchmark Litigation, September 30, 2021 (with Hildy Sastre).

100th Anniversary of the 19th Amendment, Update of the Law CLE, June 12, 2020 (with Lori Schultz).

Exposing Meritless Claims in Drug and Medical Device Product Liability MDLs, DRI's For the Defense, September 2019 (with Christopher J. Kaufman and Jason R. Harmon).

Media Coverage

Sanofi May Assert Lack of Knowledge of Taxotere Hair Loss Risk, Bloomberg Law, July 2, 2020.