Adam focuses his practice on complex commercial litigation, class actions and product liability. His recent experience includes data security class actions, significant commercial disputes and product liability litigation. He has significant trial experience serving in a lead role in numerous jury trials, including serving as trial counsel in a $1 billion-dollar complex commercial arbitration, second-chairing a product liability jury trial, and cross-examining a key damages expert before the Copyright Royalty Board. He has represented clients in trial involving product liability, commercial disputes, antitrust and tobacco in New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Missouri, Washington, D.C., and Florida. For more than 15 years, Adam has played a key role in numerous high stakes mass tort litigation, taking and defending many expert depositions, and preparing and defending core company witnesses.

Representative Matters

  • Served as trial counsel defending an American multinational conglomerate in a $1 billion-dollar confidential arbitration involving a complex construction project that resulted in a complete defense verdict. Cross-examined key plaintiff witnesses during the four-week hearing, presided over by three former judges, and conducted the direct exam of the lead defense witness. At the close of the plaintiff case, successfully argued for directed verdict on a $100 million-dollar claim. During discovery, took and defended over twenty fact and expert depositions and argued numerous motions.
  • Second-chaired a product liability jury trial in Miami state court. Conducted the direct examinations of the two defense experts; cross-examined a plaintiff fact witness; cross-examined a plaintiff expert in a Daubert hearing; and argued motions throughout the trial.
  • Obtained summary judgment after a Daubert hearing on behalf of a diet food manufacturer in the Eastern District Court of Pennsylvania.  
  • Member of two trial teams on behalf of a tobacco corporation that secured complete defense verdicts in well-publicized matters. In 2016, member of the trial team that scored a complete defense victory for this client in a three-week trial of a class action medical monitoring claim before a Massachusetts federal jury. Responsible for developing the trial strategy, preparing the witnesses to testify, and arguing motions and evidentiary objections during trial. Took and defended key expert depositions. In 2011, key member of the trial team that, after a four-month jury trial in St. Louis state court, secured a defense verdict for client in a claim for more than $455 million in economic damages brought by 37 Missouri hospitals against six tobacco companies. The defense verdict was recognized by The American Lawyer as a "resounding victory" for the client. Argued pre-trial motions, including motions to exclude certain plaintiffs' experts and to bifurcate the trial, and argued evidentiary issues during trial.
  • On behalf of a global biopharmaceutical company, member of team that secured the dismissal of all claims in Illinois federal court in a putative consumer class action following a global recall of a product. Advised the company throughout the product recall phase and negotiated settlements and releases with the manufacturers and patent holders.
  • Cross-examined an expert economist on behalf of Sirius XM before the Copyright Royalty Board (CRB) in Washington, D.C., to set sound recording performance rates. Took depositions of expert economists and a record industry executive.
  • Key role in the representation of ESPN, Inc. in securing a significant defense verdict following a three-week trial in 2013 in the Southern District of New York involving more than $150 million in claims brought by Dish Network.
  • Significant role representing AstraZeneca in the Seroquel litigation, coordinating trial strategy and witness preparation across all aspects of the MDL and state litigations. In 2010, central member of the trial team that secured a defense verdict in New Jersey state court in the first jury trial out of more than 20,000 individual cases alleging that Seroquel causes diabetes. Argued evidentiary issues pre-trial and during trial, and was responsible for preparing company witnesses to testify at trial.
  • Member of three different trial teams that received defense jury verdicts for Wyeth in In Re: Diet Drugs Litigation in Philadelphia state court. Took depositions in those cases, argued motions, prepared core demonstrative exhibits, and was responsible for preparing expert witnesses to testify at trial.
  • First-chaired two Section 1983 prisoner civil rights trials in federal court in New Jersey. 

Publications

  • 30(B)(6) Preparation TipsJDSUPRA, September 13, 2023.
  • How to Choose and Use a Jury Effectively Publication, Corporate Counsel (with David Lender and Diane Sullivan), March 25, 2016.
  • Humanizing the Corporation: Tips for Successfully Representing Large Corporations in the Courtroom, Corporate Counsel, (with David Lender and Diane Sullivan), November 16, 2015. 
  • Litigating Far From Home: 4 Survival Tips, Corporate Counsel,September 21, 2015.

Presentations

  • Assessing the Practical Impact of Federal Rule Changes on Life Sciences Litigation and Ongoing Reform Efforts to Address Litigation Funding, ACC Health, Biotech & Pharma CLE Webinar, March 5, 2024.