John has more than 30 years of trial experience. He litigates complex commercial, class action and multidistrict litigation and also has substantial experience defending clients before federal and state enforcement agencies. His substantive focus includes business litigation, product liability, unfair competition, and false advertising. Lawdragon has recognized John as one of the “500 Leading Litigators in America.” Clients say John is “a great trial lawyer” who “is a bulldog for his clients,” is “always prepared on the law and the facts,” and “understands the business and risks that actually matter to his clients.” Chambers USA highlights his “reputation for excellence in some of the most challenging and complex litigation matters of recent years.”
Complex Litigation
John has a comprehensive MDL and class litigation practice with extensive experience in a wide variety of complex litigation matters in federal and state courts. He is recognized for his ability to manage the ground game in complex litigation, which often includes complicated discovery. John has experience at both the trial and appeal levels, including working on some of the highest profile MDL and class matters in recent years.
eDiscovery
John has expansive experience in all areas of electronic discovery, privacy, information governance and data breaches, for which Chambers has ranked him as a one of four “Star” attorneys in e-discovery globally and in the United States. Chambers USA quotes a client as saying “[John] is one of the most knowledgeable e-discovery counsels in the U.S.” Others call him “a trusted and authoritative voice in e-discovery.” John’s practice in this area is distinguished by practical experience in litigating e-discovery issues in the courtroom. Clients remarked that “John is one of the best e-discovery lawyers in the U.S. One of his great strengths is how good he is in the courtroom and before judges about e-discovery matters.”
John is a former Steering Committee Member of Working Group 1 of the Sedona Conference on Best Practices for Electronic Discovery and Records Management. John is also a participant in Working Group 6 of the Sedona Conference International Electronic Information Management, Discovery and Disclosure, a group which focuses on international issues relating to disclosure, cross-border discovery and privacy. He is an advisory board member of the Georgetown University Law Center’s Continuing Legal Education E-Discovery Institute and a member of the District of Columbia Bar Association’s E-Discovery Committee. John is an editor and contributing author to the Federal Judge’s Guide to E-Discovery.
Artificial Intelligence
John is at the forefront of the adoption and use of artificial intelligence. He advises clients on a wide variety of issues regarding artificial intelligence, including the use, governance and risk mitigation of Generative AI models and applications. John has lectured and written extensively on the topic, including as a contributing author to the American Bar Association’s publication Artificial Intelligence: Legal Issues, Policy, and Practical Strategies. In 2025, he was named by Lawdragon as one of the “100 Leading AI and Legal Technical Advisors in the United States.”
Accolades
John has been ranked in Chambers USA for 14 consecutive years, and in Chambers Global for 13 consecutive years as one of the nation’s top lawyers in e-discovery litigation practice. He is one of three lawyers ranked as a “Star Individual” E-Discovery & Information Governance. Other accolades include recognition in The Legal 500 U.S. for seven consecutive years as a “Leading Lawyer” eDiscovery. In 2025, Lawdragon named him as one of the “100 Leading AI and Legal Technical Advisors in the United States.” John has received the Distinguished Service Award from the Electronic Discovery Institute, was named a National Law Journal “Trailblazer” in litigation, and was recognized by the Financial Times in their list of the “Most Innovative Lawyers in the United States.”
Representative Matters
Multidistrict and Product Liability Litigation
Koller v. Monsanto Co., No. 3:22-04260 (N.D. Cal.) – defend Monsanto in a putative class action that impurities in Roundup products causes cancer.
Perez-Hernandez v. Monsanto, No. 3:23-4946, MDL No. 2741 (N.D. Cal.) – defend Monsanto in a putative class case seeking medical monitoring relief over allegations that Roundup products cause cancer.
Sheller v. Monsanto Co., No. 29-01-2412 (Hamilton Cnty., Indiana) – defend Monsanto in a class case seeking medical monitoring relief over allegations that Roundup products cause cancer.
In re ZF-TRW Airbag Controls Unites Products Liability Litigation (MDL – C.D. Cal.) – defended Toyota in allegations relating to certain airbag control units.
In re: Abilify (Aripipriazole) Products Liability Litigation (MDL – N.D. Fla.) – defended Otsuka in a product liability litigation relating to Abilify.
In re JUUL Labs, Inc., Marketing Sales Practices, and Products Liability Litigation (MDL No. 2913 – N.D. Cal.) – defended JUUL in allegations regarding marketing practices around their vaping products.
In re: Abilify (Aripipriazole) Products Liability Litigation (MDL No. 3:16-2734 – N.D. Fla.) – defend Otsuka in a product liability litigation relating Abilify.
In re Takata Airbag Products Liability Litigation (MDL – Fla.)– represented Toyota in an MDL action regarding claims of alleged product liability defect in airbags.
In re Genetically Modified Wheat Litigation (MDL - D. Ks.) – represented Monsanto in an MDL action regarding class claims of the alleged wrongful distribution of genetically modified wheat.
In re Toyota Motor Corp. Unintended Acceleration Marketing, Sales Practices, and Products Liability Litigation (MDL - C.D. Cal.) – represented Toyota in an MDL action regarding claims involving Toyota’s electronic accelerator technology.
In the Matter of The Fort Totten Metrorail Cases (D. D.C.) – defended Alstom Transport in a case involving a collision on the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s subway system.
Complex Class Litigation and False Advertising
Gilmore v. Monsanto, No. 3:19-1123 (N.C. Cal.) – defended Monsanto in a putative class action relating to Roundup Products. I also argued and was affirmed by the 9th Circuit in this matter.
Waters v. Home Depot U.S.A., Inc., No. 50-2019-009140 (Cnty. Ct. 15th Cir., Palm Beach Cnty., Fla.) – Defended Monsanto and Home Depot in a putative class action relating to the Roundup Products.
Lamerson v. Walmart Stores, Inc., No. 50-2019-009139 (Cnty. Ct. 15th Cir., Palm Beach Cnty., Fla.) – Defended Monsanto and Walmart in a putative class action relating to the Roundup Products.
Weeks v. Home Depot U.S.A., Inc., No. 2:19-6780 (C.D. Cal.) – Defended Monsanto and Home Depot in a putative class action relating to the Roundup Products.
Weeks v. Lowe’s Home Centers, LLC, No. 2:19-6828 (C.D. Cal.) – Defended Monsanto and Home Depot in a putative class action relating to the Roundup Products.
Jewell v. Walmart Inc., No. 4:19-4088 (W.D. Ark.) – Defended Monsanto and Walmart in a putative class action relating to the Roundup Products.
Shelly v. Target Corp., No. 50-2019-010718 (Cnty. Ct. 15th Cir., Palm Beach Cnty., Fla.) – Defended Monsanto and Target in a putative class action relating to the Roundup Products.
Biddle v. Lowe’s Home Centers, LLC, No. 50-2019-011405 (Cnty. Ct. 15th Cir. Palm Beach Cnty., Fla.) – Defended Monsanto and Lowe’s in a putative class action relating to the Roundup Products.
Morley v. Ace Hardware Corp., No. CONO-19-01064 (Cnty. Ct. 2d Cir., Broward Cnty., Fla.) – Defended Monsanto and Ace Hardware in a putative class action relating to the Roundup Products.
Boyette v. Lowe’s Companies, Inc., No. 4:19-04119 (W.D. Ark.) – Defended Monsanto and Lowe’s in a putative class action relating to the Roundup Products.
Thomas v. Costco Wholesale Corp., No. 1:19--05278 (E.D.N.Y.) – Defended Monsanto and Costco in a putative class action relating to the Roundup Products.
Fagundes v. The Home Depot, No. 0:20-61035 (S.D. Fla.) – Defended Monsanto and Home Depot in a putative class action relating to the Roundup Products.
Taylor v. Costco Wholesale Corp., No. 20-00655 (E.D. Cal.) – Defended Monsanto and Costco in a putative class action relating to the Roundup Products.
Hanna v. Walmart Inc., No. 5:20-01075 (C.D. Cal.) – Defended Monsanto and Walmart in a putative class action relating to the Roundup Products.
Williams v. Lowe’s Home Centers, LLC, No. 5:20-01356 (C.D. Cal.) – Defended Monsanto and Lowe’s in a putative class action relating to the Roundup Products.
Gregorio v. Home Depot U.S.A., Inc., No. CACE-21-002428 (2d Cir., Broward Cnty., Fla.) – Defended Monsanto and Home Depot in a putative class action relating to the Roundup Products.
Tomlinson v. Monsanto Co., No. 1916-17001 (Jackson County, Mo.) – defend Monsanto in a putative class action in Missouri action relating to Roundup.
Jones v. Monsanto Co., 2021 WL 2426126 (W.D. Mo., May 12, 2021), aff’d, 38 F.4th 693 (8th Cir. 2022) – represented Monsanto in consolidated putative class actions regarding unfair competition claims concerning the labeling of its Roundup brand. Also argued and was affirmed by the 8th Circuit in this matter.
Blitz v. Monsanto Co., No. 3:17-00473 (W.D. Wis.) – represent Monsanto in a putative class action alleging false advertising in association with its Roundup brand.
Beyond Pesticides v. Monsanto Company, No. 1:17-00941 (D. D.C.) – represent Monsanto an unfair competition claim brought by a consumer advocacy group alleging false advertising in association with its Roundup brand.
Rawa v. Monsanto Co., 2018 WL 2389040 (E.D. Mo., May 25, 2018), aff’d, 934 F.3d 862 (8th Cir. 2019) – represent Monsanto against a false advertising claim relating to the marketing of Roundup. Also argued and was affirmed by the 8th Circuit in this matter.
Miraze v. Monsanto Co. (C.D. Cal.) – represent Monsanto against a false advertising claim relating to the marketing of Roundup.
Blackmore v. Union Pacific Railroad (D. Neb.) – represented Union Pacific in a data breach class action.
Boiles v. Union Pacific Railroad (D. Neb.) – represented Union Pacific in a data breach class action.
In the Matter of Certain Digital Multimeters, and Products with Multimeter Functionality (ITC 337) – represented Fluke Corp. in an action brought before the ITC seeking to stop the illegal importation of electronic test equipment violating Fluke’s trade dress. A general exclusion order was issued in favor of Fluke.
J&J Snack Foods Corp. v. The Earthgrains Co. (D. NJ) – successfully represented Nestlé as a defendant in a trademark infringement action concerning the Nestlé Tollhouse brand.
Presentations and Publications
John writes and lectures extensively in the fields of e-discovery, privacy and data breach. He is frequently quoted in the media. Over the last year, John appeared as faculty or lecturer in a wide variety of programs and industry events. John’s publications and speaking engagements include the following.
Generative AI in Legal Work: Exploring Use Case Through an Ethical Lens, Justia Connect, January 22, 2026.
Updated Legal Use Cases for Generative AI in the Practice of Law and Their Ethical Implications, Webinar, Lawline, October 2025.
Hot Topics in Electronic Discovery 2025: What Corporate and Outside Counsel Need to Know Using Generative AI in eDiscovery, Practising Law Institute, October 2025.
Practice Impact: From One Lens to Many – Gen AI Adoption, Pathfinders Summit, September 2025.
Contributing Author, Federal Judge’s Guide to E-Discovery (4.0), Electronic Discovery Institute, 2025.
Implications of Generative AI on Rules Reform, Lawyers for Civil Justice Mid-Year Meeting, December 2024.
Guest Lecture, Generative AI and E-Discovery, St. Mary’s Law School, November 2024.
Keynote Address, Fireside Chat with Winston Weinberg, CEO of HarveyAI, Georgetown Advanced E-Discovery Institute, November 2024.
Products Liability Litigation and Unfair Competition Risks from Generative AI, Webinar, October 2024.
Generative AI – Hype or Reality, 2024 EDI Summit, October 2024.
Co-Chair, PLI 2024 Program on eDiscovery, September 2024.
The Ethics of Using Generative AI in Litigation, Practising Law Institute, September 2024.
Lecture, Generative AI for Legal Uses, Arizona Bar Association, Spring 2024.
Lecture, Legal Use Cases for Generative AI and their Ethical Implications, Lawline Webinar, June 2024.
Faculty, E-Discovery and Hyperlinked Files: Considerations for Collecting, Searching and Producing Modern Attachments, Strafford Webinar, June 2024.
Contributing Author, Artificial Intelligence: Legal Issues, Policy, and Practical Strategies, American Bar Association, 2024.
Co-Author, USPTO Releases Updated Guidelines for AI-Related Patent Eligibility, Winston & Strawn LLP Client Alert, July 22, 2024.
Comment Letter on Proposed New Rule 16.1 regarding MDL Litigation, February 9, 2024.
Comment Letter on Proposed Rules 16(b) and 26(f) on Privilege Logging, February 2024.
Lecture, Natural Language AI and the Practice of Law, October 2023.
Faculty, Demystifying Artificial Intelligence, ChatGPT, and Large Language Models in the Legal Industry, October 2023.
Moderator, Preservation in an Ever-Changing World, EDI Leadership Summit, Oct. 2023.
Panelist, Practical Effects of the 2015 Changes to the Federal Rules on Discovery, Rand Symposium on E-Discovery, September 2023.
Panelist, Slack, Teams, WhatsApp – Oh My – Discovery of Newer Data Types, Winston & Strawn, June 2023.
Panelist, Hot Topics in E-Discovery – Virtual Meetings, Ephemeral Data, Collaboration Tools, PLI, May 2023.
Changed Management in the Legal Industry, Solid West, February 2023.
Ted Talk, eDiscovery 101, April 2023.
Faculty, How Producing Parties Decide How, What and Where to Search for Data, GW eDiscovery Program in conjunction with the Rabiej Litigation Law Center, April 2023.
Panelist, Litigators Duty of Reasonable Inquiry in Rule 26(g)(3), Strafford Webinar, March 2023.
Presenter, Ethical Issues Regarding Use of Generative AI in the Legal Industry, January 2023.
Panelist, Everything eDiscovery: The 2023 Attorney’s Guide Webinar, Lexprint, Inc., April 2023.
Keynote with Judges P. Grimm and D. Campbell, Proportionality Revisited, Georgetown Law Center, Moderator, November 2022.
Faculty, Federal Rules Reform, Complex Litigation Conference, George Washington Law School, November 2022.
Panelist, Why Use a Discovery Special Master in Complex Litigation, EDI Leadership Summit, October 2022.
Faculty, ESI Protocols Moderator, EDI Leadership Summit, October 2021.
Mastering E-Discovery, 2021 Rosdale Seminar, August 2021.
Faculty, The Practical Operation of Rule 37(e) Regarding the Loss of Electronically Stored Information (ESI), PLI, 2021.
Presenter, Annual 2020 E-Discovery Update, December 2020.
Co-Author, Chapter 24: Cross Border Production Issues, Essentials of E-Discovery, 2nd Ed., State Bar of Texas, 2021.
Speaker, Help Me, Obi-Wan-Kenobi: Best Practices Regarding Search & TAR Validation, EDI Leadership Summit, October 2020.
Co-author, EU Court Strikes Down Privacy Shield and Causes Data Transfer Headaches for U.S. Companies, Lexology, July 2020.
Panelist, Privacy Beyond the GDPR, Masters Conference, November 2019.
Speaker, Hot Topics in TAR, FJC Training Program, October 2019.
Speaker, Modern Legal Process Management: The Future of Artificial Intelligence, EDI Leadership Summit, October 2019.
Faculty, International Privacy in Litigation, PLI Electronic Discovery Institute, September 2019.
Speaker, Case Law Update, ABA 12th Annual National Institute on E-Discovery, Chicago, May 2019.
Speaker, eDiscovery Case Law Update, American Bar Association’s 13th Annual National Institute on eDiscovery, April 26, 2019.
Moderator, Case Law Update, Georgetown Law’s Advanced eDiscovery Institute, November 15, 2018.
Speaker, AI and the Law, Leadership Summit of EDI, October 2018.
Speaker, Data Privacy and E-Discovery, PLI Webinar, September 2018.
Faculty, 12th Annual National Institute on E-Discovery, American Bar Association, May 2018.
Contributing Editor, eDiscovery & Disclosure, Chambers Global Practice Guides (2018 ed.), 2018.
Editor, The Federal Judge’s Guide to Discovery, EDI, 3rd ed., 2017.
Proportionality and the 2015 Amendments to the Federal Rules, The Federal Judge’s Guide to Discovery, EDI, 3rd ed., 2017.
Co-Author, Proportionality, Not Perfection, Is What Matters, November 2017.
Moderator, Centralized Discovery – The Next Thing, EDI Leadership Summit, October 2017.
Co-Chair, Faculty and Moderator, Annual Judicial Training Symposium, EDI, October 2017.
Panelist, Top ESI Mistakes Made in Mass Tort Disputes, Webinar, September 2017.
Faculty, International Privacy in Litigation, PLI Electronic Discovery Institute, September 2017.
Speaker, Managing the Risks and Spend of E-Discovery, Association of Corporate Counsel National Capital Region’s Litigation Forum, Washington, D.C., May 9, 2017.
Panelist, New Rules of E-Discovery: Everything You Need to Know, Webinar, January 2017.
Steering Committee, TAR Case Law Primer, The Sedona Conference, January 2017.
Speaker, Data Privacy and E-Discovery, PLI Electronic Discovery Institute, September 2016.
Moderator, Data Privacy & Security Practice Group CLE: Safe Harbor – Not So Safe! What Should Businesses Do? Association of Corporate Counsel, Houston Chapter, February 4, 2016.
Editor-in-Chief, Commentary on the Protection of Privileged Information, The Sedona Conference Working Group 1, Final 2016.