Anjelica Cappellino, J.D.

In February, the United States Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation issued an order centralizing pre-trial proceedings in actions against the manufacturers of Onglyza and Kombligyze XR, medications used to treat Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus. When the centralization was ordered, the…

A California jury awarded $25.75 million in damages to a plaintiff who alleged that she developed mesothelioma after being exposed to asbestos in Johnson & Johnson’s Baby Powder talc-based products. The jury awarded $21.75 million in compensatory damages and an…

The admissibility of expert testimony can be a game changer during trial. This is particularly true in federal court, which has its own rules and evidentiary standards. In federal court, an expert’s testimony can be challenged on a number of…

The United States legal system is adversarial by design. Zealous representation is part and parcel with advocating on behalf of a client. However, a sense of truth and justice also needs to pervade, lest the system crumbles. As such, certain…

  While engagement letters are thought to be less formal than a more contractual-looking retainer agreement, both documents share the same purpose: to outline the scope of the relationship with the expert. Becuase each expert-attorney relationship is unique, the specific…

Medical device company, C.R. Bard, suffered a huge loss in New Jersey court over its pelvic mesh products. A Bergen County jury awarded the plaintiff, Mary McGinniss, $33 million in compensatory damages and $35 million in punitive damages against C.R.…

For decades, talc – a mineral found in various industrial and cosmetic products – has been the subject of mass tort litigation. Industrial talc, which is used in rubber, plastics, and ceramics, has been widely alleged to be contaminated with…

Most studies on medical malpractice claims in the United States do not specifically isolate instances of patient abandonment, so there is little concrete data on this phenomenon. A study conducted on the rates of medical malpractice lawsuits in the United…

By any measure, expert witnesses are an integral part of the judicial process. They can break down complex concepts into more palatable formats for the jury while making the facts at hand easier to understand. Although retained by a litigating…

  As seen in courtrooms throughout the country (and as portrayed in innumerable courtroom television and film dramas), the expert usually phrases their opinion in the form of reaching a “reasonable degree of certainty.” Sometimes the standard is stated specifically…