Personal Injury From Failure to Warn: Drug Label Litigation Under State Law and Impossibility Preemption

Mr. Gardner is a first-chair trial attorney who has practiced at the intersection of law and public policy across five administrations for more than two decades in the US Department of Justice (DOJ) and private practice. He has successfully led multiple trial teams through more than a dozen bench and jury trials, including some of the most consequential cases involving the federal government. Mr. Gardner has provided strategic counsel and guidance to the White House and federal agencies in high-profile litigation and congressional investigations. He has prepared multiple witnesses for congressional testimony and represented high-level officials in numerous transcribed interviews and depositions on the Hill. Mr. Gardner has extensive experience in defending depositions on behalf of cabinet and sub-cabinet agency officials in federal court cases. He has argued dozens of dispositive and discovery motions and has extensive experience working with expert witnesses. Mr. Gardner is recognized for training and developing successful trial teams.

Mr. Gismondi is Of Counsel in the Products Liability, Mass Tort, and Class Action group at DLA Piper LLP (US). He litigates high-stakes mass tort product liability and class action lawsuits. Mr. Gismondi's practice focuses on life sciences, defending companies in mass tort and class actions where general and specific personal injuries are alleged, as well as providing broad-based risk management, litigation, and regulatory support to a wide variety of sectors (including food and beverage, healthcare, and technology). He has taken a particular interest in the rise of claims relating to neurological-based injuries, and common parlance claims of addiction that conflict with, and undermine, the medical definition of addiction. Mr. Gismondi's efforts focus on explaining complex scientific concepts to broad audiences that are not experts in the field and breaking the link of causation between the wrongdoing alleged by the plaintiff and the claimed injury. He handles cases before state and federal trial and appellate courts, arbitrators, and mediators.

Ms. Horton represents pharmaceutical and medical device companies in multidistrict litigation and appeals throughout the United States. She is a high-energy litigator who regularly handles complex matters. Ms. Horton has presented oral arguments in front of federal Courts of Appeals, state and federal trial courts and arbitration panels. She was recognized with the Pennsylvania Lawyers on the Fast Track Award in 2025.

Mr. Longer specializes in representing individuals who have been harmed by dangerous drugs, medical devices, other defective products and antitrust violations. He has extensive experience in prosecuting individual, complex and class action litigations in both state and federal courts across the country. Mr. Longer has been involved in the resolution of several of the largest settlements involving personal injuries including the $6.75 Billion settlement involving Diet Drugs and the $4.85 Billion settlement involving Vioxx. He was part of the teams responsible for negotiating the settlements in the National Football League Players’ Concussion Litigation, MDL No. 2323, the Chinese-Manufactured Drywall Products Liability Litigation, MDL 2047, involving various suppliers and manufacturers of Chinese Drywall valued in excess of $1 Billion, and the landmark environmental settlements with DuPont and 3M in the In Re Aqueous Film-Forming Foams Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2873, valued in excess of $12 Billion. Mr. Longer is a frequent lecturer and has presented numerous seminars on various legal topics for professional groups.

Mr. Ruck represents both plaintiffs and defendants in trial and appellate courts. At the trial level, he handles every phase of litigation, from the complaint stage to examining witnesses at trial. At the appellate level, Mr. Ruck has briefed in multiple courts of appeals and in the United States Supreme Court and successfully argued a precedent-setting victory in a federal court of appeals. He has particular experience with complex commercial disputes, securities, and antitrust litigation, representing clients in the financial, telecommunications, and technology industries.