Michelle practices in product liability litigation, with a focus on pharmaceutical and medical device defense. She has more than 25 years of experience in complex products liability, toxic tort, and various science-driven litigations, and in the defense of mass tort litigation. Michelle also provides risk management assessment and best practices counseling to clients ranging from start-up companies to Fortune 500 companies.
Michelle has handled cases and litigations for manufacturers of a wide range of pharmaceuticals, including therapeutics, hormone therapies, contraceptives, dietary drugs, immunosuppressants, smoking cessation and obesity therapies, allergy medications, anti-depressants and anti-inflammatories. Her medical device experience includes heart valves, cardiovascular and cardiopulmonary products, neurovascular coils, endovascular products, orthopedic products, CT scan injectors, surgical instruments and solutions, tracheotomy tubes, intraocular lenses, devices and solutions, respiratory protective devices and industrial chemicals. Michelle's trial experience includes the defense of medical device and drug design, drug discovery, chemical exposure, breach of contract involving the divestiture of product lines, research agreements, distributor agreements and environmental remediation agreements.
Michelle has lectured for the International Association of Defense Counsel and Defense Research Institute, as well as the California Continuing Education of the Bar, the American Bar Association and Mealey's Conferences.
Publications
Michelle Fujimoto, Genetics and Molecular/Cell Biology, Chapter 6, Science Basics for the Drug and Medical Device Lawyer, DRI, 2020.
Michelle Fujimoto, Laurel Harbour, Greta McMorris & Erin Sparkuhl, Importing Products: Legal Risks and Defense Strategies, IADC Defense Counsel Journal, July 2008, at 238.
Michelle Fujimoto, Legal Risks, Defense Strategies and Contaminated Feed Imports, Pork Exec, May 2008, at 4.
Michelle Fujimoto, Computers: The Link to Missing Children, USC Computer Law Journal, Summer 1986.
Presentations
AI In the Law: Friend or Foe – Helping Lawyers Through the Growing Pains of a New Reality, IADC Annual Meeting, July 7, 2024.
Artificial Intelligence (AI): The Future is Now, DRI Drug and Medical Device Seminar, May 20, 2024.
What We Wish We Knew, Webinar, Diversity and Inclusion Committee, Orange County Bar Association, June 30, 2021.
Jury-Driven Science: Lawsuits Leading Science, Women's Health Summit, Washington, D.C., October 2019 (with Buffy Mims).
IADC Talks: The Defense Lawyer in 2025 – Legal Trends That Will Impact Your Practice, As Told Through Pecha Kucha, IADC Mid-Year Meeting, February 2017.
Daubert Data Dredge: A Statistical and Strategic Look Back At Daubert Through The Years and Now, DRI Drug and Medical Device Seminar, May 2016 (co-presented with Christopher Campbell).
Diversity = Value: The Business Case For Diversity, Orange County Bar Association, November 2015.
Diversity & Inclusion: What Works and What Doesn’t?, State of Diversity Symposium, Institute for Inclusion in the Legal Profession, September 2015.
Think Smart, Write Smart –Documents You Create Can Be Used Against Your Company, Orange County Bar Association, April 2015.
Diary of An Expert – An Insiders View Into The Proper Care and Feeding of Expert Witnesses, IADC Mid-Year Meeting, February 2014.
Eliminating Bias – At the Intersection of Value and Efficiency, Orange County Bar Association, January 2014.
Think Smart, Write Smart – Documents You Create Can Hurt Your Company, Orange County Regulatory Affairs conference, November 2013.
Eliminating Bias: At The Intersection Of Value And Efficiency, Association of Corporate Counsel Meeting, Orange County, 2013.
Six Sigma: What You Don’t Know Can Hurt You, IADC Mid-Year Meeting, Boca Raton, 2013.
Are Mortgages Really the Same as Toasters? Is a Credit Card Really Akin to an Anti-Depressant? A Deep Dive into Defending Industries Subject to Regulation, DRI's Annual Meeting, New Orleans, 2012.
Dealing with Difficult Witnesses in Deposition and at Trial, DRI's Sharing Success - A Seminar for Women Lawyers, Santa Monica, 2009.
Importing Defective Products: Legal Risks, Preventative Measures, And Defense Strategies, IADC Mid-Year Meeting 2008.
Preserving The Appellate Record At Trial, DRI's Young Lawyers Seminar 2007
Major Daubert Decisions On Appeal – Current Update, Mealey’s Conference, Los Angeles, 2003.
Preparing For, Taking and Using Depositions, California Continuing Education of the Bar, Orange County, 2003.
Strict Liability For Failure To Warn: California’s Carlin Paradox, DRI Drug & Medical Device Litigation Seminar, 1997.