 | Christopher A. Seeger Seeger Weiss LLP One William Street New York, NY 10004 212-584-0700 (firm) 212-584-0799 (fax) Contact this attorney | |
EDITORIAL REVIEW
This former boxer pummels his adversaries: He followed up the $4.85B
Vioxx deal by helping with the $904M settlement in Bextra/Celebrex
claims and leading the auction rate securities litigation against UBS.
—2008 Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers in America
He's the hottest plaintiff lawyer to emerge as a leader on the national scene following lynchpin work in Vioxx, Zyprexa, Rezulin and PPA/Dexatrim.
— Lawdragon,
January 2008
Seeger sealed a $700 million settlement for users
of the antipsychosis med Xyprexa, and now co-leads the plaintiffs’ committee of the
federal Vioxx multi-district litigation.
— Lawdragon,
February 2007
Submit your evaluation of this attorney. Contact Lawdragon about the information in this review.
Co-founder of Seeger Weiss LLP, Christopher A. Seeger is one of the nation’s most versatile, respected and accomplished
attorneys in the area of complex and mass tort actions. Mr. Seeger has served as lead attorney and in other significant
leadership roles in many of the country’s most newsworthy and groundbreaking federal and state actions involving consumer
fraud and negligence. With a particular expertise in pharmaceutical cases including Vioxx, Zyprexa, Rezulin, PPA and
Ephedra, Mr. Seeger is regularly quoted in the press discussing these and other topics. In addition to representing
large classes of plaintiffs who collectively seek damages from major pharmaceutical companies, insurance companies and
other corporations for consumer fraud and negligence, Mr. Seeger also represents individuals who have suffered injuries
as the result of negligence or malfeasance. His successes have been lauded in the 2007 "Top 20 Personal Injury Awards of
the Year" published by the New Jersey Law Journal, in Law Dragon 500 in 2007 and 2008, and in the National Law Journal's
prestigious Plaintiffs' Hot List in 2007, 2008 and 2009. He also has been honored with entrance into the Hunter College
Hall of Fame in 2007, and was named Cardozo Law School’s Alumnus of the Year in 2009.
Growing up with a father who was a union carpenter, Mr. Seeger witnessed the struggle between injured individuals and the
big businesses that had wronged them. He himself, prior to attending college, worked as a carpenter, where he learned
firsthand the value of physical labor and craftsmanship. On the side, Mr. Seeger showed his strategic and athletic
abilities as an amateur boxer, where he honed his focus and aggressiveness - skills that stand him in good stead today in
the courtroom.
Mr. Seeger approaches each case with compassion: he knows that each plaintiff, whether as an individual or as part of a
group, has suffered immensely and needs an effective partner to get through what is inevitably a difficult and emotional
time. His successes in the courtroom and settlement room have helped many injured people recover financial awards.
Some of the drug and toxic injury cases Mr. Seeger has handled include:
- Appointed to Yasmin and Yaz Multidistrict Litigation (MDL) Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee (PSC). Yaz, Yasmin, and
Ocella are three brands of birth control pills that pose a much greater risk of health complications than other oral
contraceptives currently on the market. Yaz, Yasmin, and Ocella significantly increase the risk of severe health
complications. The Food and Drug Administration has issued several warnings to Bayer, the maker of Yaz and Yasmin, for
false advertising and below-standard manufacturing plants. As a member of the PSC, Mr. Seeger will help guide the
direction of the litigation.
- Appointed to the Chinese-Manufactured Drywall Products Liability MDL, and chairing the Trail Committee. This
litigation, which is expected to include thousands of claimants asserting property damage and personal injury claims,
concerns approximately 30,000 homes and commercial properties were either repaired or constructed with the Chinese
drywall between 2005 and 2006. This product is reported to contain high levels of hydrogen sulfides, compounds that when
exposed to prolonged heat or humidity, release sulfur gasses causing health problems and property destruction. As chair
of the Trail Committee, Mr. Seeger will shape the how the hundreds of cases appear in a courtroom.
- Selected to co-lead the WellPoint, Inc. Out-of-Network “UCR” Rates MDL. several large insurance companies, including
WellPoint Inc., Anthem Inc., and Blue Cross of California colluded to lower reimbursement rates for out-of-network heath
care services. The insurers were reported to have knowingly created and used a rigged database, created by United
Healthcare Group subsidiary Ingenix, to produce reimbursements far below the usual, customary and reasonable rates. His
appointment surfeit experience and proven leadership in other large, complex litigations.
- Appointed to the Plaintiffs’ Executive Committee and Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee in the Aetna, Inc.,
Out-Of-Network "UCR" Rates MDL. Similar to the Wellpoint MDL, this litigation concerns Aetna’s use of the rigged database
Ingenix, which was designed to fix the prices of out-of-network reimbursements in Aetna’s favor. As a member of the
Plaintiffs’ Executive Committee, Mr. Seeger will help shape the strategy and direction of these cases.
- Appointed to the Gadolinium-based contrast dyes (GBCAs) MDL Executive Committee and Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee.
The FDA has identified a link between GBCAs used during Magnetic Resonance Imaging (“MRI”) and Magnetic Resonance
Angiography (“MRA”) procedures, and a debilitating and potentially fatal skin disorder known as Nephrogenic Systemic
Fibrosis or Nephrogenic Fibrosing Dermopathy (“NSF/NFD”). Mr. Seeger was also appointed Liaison Counsel in connection
with the consolidated mass tort litigation against manufacturers of GBCAs in New Jersey.
- Serving on the Vioxx Negotiating Committee for the landmark $4.85 billion Global Resolution of Vioxx-related claims
against Merck & Co., entered on November 9, 2007 in the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Louisiana. Mr. Seeger
had been unanimously selected by the Vioxx plaintiffs' lawyers to co-lead the federal Vioxx Multidistrict Litigation
(MDL), and was appointed by U.S. District Judge Eldon E. Fallon to co-lead the Plaintiff's Steering Committee and to
serve as one of three members of the Executive Committee. In addition, Mr. Seeger has served as Liaison Counsel and
Co-Lead Counsel for the New Jersey Vioxx Litigation, as appointed by the Honorable Carol E. Higbee. The Vioxx Global
Resolution encompasses the majority of the Vioxx personal injury claims in the New Jersey cases, the MDL cases, and other
cases filed throughout the U.S.
- Representation of Frederick "Mike" Humeston and his wife Mary in a Vioxx related personal injury lawsuit in Atlantic
City, New Jersey. Mr. Seeger received national attention during the course of the case, which began in September 2005,
and resulted in a 2007 jury verdict of compensatory and punitive damages against Merck & Co. in the amount of $47.5
million. Mr. Humeston, an ex-marine and twice-decorated Vietnam veteran, had suffered a heart attack after using Vioxx
for a short period of time. Originally, in October 2005 the jury sided with Merck but after Mr. Seeger uncovered evidence
that had been withheld, in August 2006 Judge Carol E. Higbee vacated Merck's jury win and granted Mr. Humeston a new
trial.
- Current representation of the International Union of Operating Engineers Local #68 Welfare Fund and other
similarly-situated third-party payors in their suit against Merck to recover money that they paid for Vioxx
prescriptions. Mr. Seeger argued before the New Jersey Supreme Court to defend a nationally certified class action on
behalf of the plaintiffs, health insurers and union health plans against Merck.
- The first case in New York against the manufacturer of Rezulin in which Mr. Seeger won a $2 million verdict against
Pfizer on behalf of a Brooklyn resident who had sustained liver injuries following her Rezulin use. Mr. Seeger was
appointed to the Rezulin MDL Plaintiffs' Steering Committee, which is assigned to Judge Lewis A. Kaplan in the Southern
District of New York. He is also a member of the Plaintiffs' Steering Committee in the Rezulin New Jersey state and the
New York state litigation; these cases were settled.
- The negotiation of a national $700 million settlement from Eli Lilly & Co. for patients who claimed that they had
developed diabetes while taking Zyprexa.
- Serving as principal negotiator and Co-Lead Counsel in the nationwide settlement of all PPA (phenylpropanolamine)
related injuries resulting from the ingestion of Dexatrim. Mr. Seeger is involved in the litigation against numerous
manufacturers of pharmaceutical products containing PPA, and serves on the PPA MDL Plaintiffs' Steering Committee pending
in the Western District of Washington and the PPA New York state court litigation pending before Judge Helen Freedman. In
the New York matter Mr. Seeger also serves as Liaison Counsel.
- Membership on the Propulsid Plaintiffs' Steering Committee in both the federal MDL case pending in the Eastern
District of Louisiana and the New Jersey state litigation in Middlesex County.
- Representation of children and property owners pursuing serious lead poisoning claims as a result of living within
one of the nation's most notorious hazardous waste sites, known as Tar Creek, in the former Picher Mining Field in
Northeast Oklahoma. The children have irreversible brain damage as a result of exposure to the lead left behind by the
mining companies, and a prospective class of residents have properties that have been devalued.
- Served as Policy-owner Representative for a class of more than 3.2 million New York Life Insurance policy-owners who
suffered damages as the result of allegedly improper sales practices; negotiated the first settlement on the issue of
"vanishing premium" policies; and, as Attorney Representative in the In re Prudential Life Insurance Sales Practices
Litigation, settled nearly 53,000 separate claim arbitrations.
In the area of personal injury, some of the individual plaintiffs Mr. Seeger has represented include:
- A 43 year old man who suffered severe brain damage as a result of a motor vehicle accident that occurred in upstate
New York. Mr. Seeger has brought separate causes of action on behalf of the client against the operators of the
respective motor vehicles and the municipality alleging a design defect in the roadway. The case is currently pending in
the Supreme Court of Sullivan County.
- A six year old boy and his family in a medical malpractice action against a hospital for failing to timely diagnose
meningitis, which resulted in severe brain damage to the boy. The action is pending in the Supreme Court of Kings County.
- The wife and two minor children of a 41 year old successful technologist who was tragically killed when a boat upon
which he was a passenger collided with the Greenport Breakwater, a 1000 foot long structure constructed of large boulders
in Greenport, Long Island. The victim was thrown from the boat upon impact and ultimately drowned. This case was settled
for a significant award.
- A 38 year old hardworking laborer who suffered devastating injuries when his leg was struck by a running chainsaw
while working in a trench near the Ground Zero site shortly after September 11th. This case was settled for a
considerable dollar figure.
- Eleven former minor aged students and their families in an action to recover damages for serious and permanent
physical and emotional injuries that they suffered as a result of several years of physical, sexual and verbal abuse
perpetrated against the students by the staff of a residential care agency and special act public school. This case was
settled for a substantial sum.
Education:
- Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, J.D., magna cum laude, 1990
Managing Editor of the Benjamin N. Cardozo Law Review
- Hunter College of the City University of New York, B.A., summa cum laude, 1987
Bar Admissions:
- New York
- New Jersey
- U.S. District Courts of the
Eastern District of New York
Southern District of New York
Memberships and Associations:
- American Bar Association
- American Association for Justice
- Trial Lawyers for Public Justice
- Fellow, American Bar Foundation
Honors and Awards:
- Lawdragon 500, 2007 - 2008
- New York SuperLawyers, 2006 - 2008
- Best Lawyers, Mass Tort Litigation
- Hunter College Hall of Fame, 2007
- Cardozo Alumnus of the Year, 2009
Community Involvement:
- Adjunct Professor, Trial Advocacy and Complex Litigation, Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law
- Past Board Member, Dwight Englewood School
- Sponsor, Walk for Awareness, Englewood Hospital
- Past Ex-Officio Board Member, Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law
See Library Tab for articles, publications and presentations
by Christopher Seeger
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News
- Christopher A. Seeger Appointed to Plaintiffs' Steering Committee in the Multidistrict Yaz, Yasmin and Ocella Litigation
Seeger Weiss is pleased to announce that founding partner Christopher A. Seeger has been named to the Plaintiffs Steering Committee (PSC) in the Yasmin and YAZ (Drospirenone) Marketing, Sales Practices and Products Liability Litigation (MDL No. 2100) by Judge David R. Herndon, United States District Court, Southern District of Illinois. More than a hundred lawsuits have been filed against Bayer Healthcare, the pharmaceutical giant that produces Yaz and Yasmin. This litigation, which is expected to include hundreds of women asserting severe health complications resulting from taking these birth control pills, was centralized in the Southern District of Illinois in October 2009 by order of the United States Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation. Mr. Seegers PSC appointment, follows his vast experience and proven leadership in other large, complex litigations, including the Vioxx Products Liability Litigation, for which Chris Seeger and others negotiated a $4.85 billion settlement on behalf of thousands of plaintiffs.
- Cardozo Names Christopher A. Seeger Alumnus of the Year
Seeger Weiss is proud to announce that the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law has named founding partner Christopher A. Seeger its Alumnus of the Year.
- Christopher Seeger Appointed to Plaintiffs' Steering Committee in Chinese Drywall Multi-District Litigation
Seeger Weiss is pleased to announce that founding partner Christopher A. Seeger has been named to the Plaintiffs' Steering Committee (PSC) in the Chinese-Manufactured Drywall Products Liability Litigation (MDL No. 2047) by Judge Eldon E. Fallon, United States District Court, Eastern District of Louisiana.
- Seeger Weiss' Chris Seeger Helps Negotiate Pending $894 Million Settlement in Bextra and Celebrex Litigation
Seeger Weiss LLP founding partner Chris Seeger, a member of the Plaintiffs' Steering Committee in the Bextra and Celebrex Marketing Sales Practices and Product Liability Litigation, helped to shape th...
- Christopher A. Seeger and David R. Buchanan Named as 2007 New York Super Lawyers
Seeger Weiss LLP, one of the nation's premier plaintiffs' law firms, is pleased to announce that founding partner Christopher A. Seeger and partner David R. Buchanan have been recognized as 2007 New York Super Lawyers.
- Christopher A. Seeger Named to Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers in America
Christopher A. Seeger Named to Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers in America Seeger Weiss Partners Stephen A. Weiss, David R. Buchanan and Jonathan Shub Named as Finalists
Publications and Presentations:
Mr. Seeger has lectured extensively on topics involving complex litigation including state and federal coordination of multi-state and multi-jurisdictional litigation and the use of Alternative Dispute Resolution in class action and mass tort litigation. |