Brian O’Donoghue focuses his practice on high-stakes mass tort, multidistrict and class action litigation, with particular experience leading major matters for pharmaceutical, industrial and life sciences companies. He advises clients facing complex product liability, environmental, commercial and consumer litigation, bringing a practical, trial-oriented approach to matters involving large-scale claims, coordinated proceedings and significant business risk.
O’Donoghue has counseled major global companies on high-profile product liability and complex commercial disputes, multijurisdictional litigation, internal investigations and other litigation. He has an extensive track record of success in mass tort and class action litigation, and regularly collaborates with clients to align their litigation strategy with their broader business objectives.
Lawdragon Honors
| Honor | Year | Practice |
|---|---|---|
| The 2027 Lawdragon 500 Leading Litigators in America | 2027 | Complex Litigation, esp. Product Liability, Mass Tort |
| The 2025 Lawdragon 500 Leading Litigators in America | 2025 | Complex Litigation, esp. Product Liability, Securities, IP |
| The 2024 Lawdragon 500 Leading Litigators in America | 2024 | Complex Litigation, esp. Product Liability, Securities, IP |
| The 2026 Lawdragon 500 Leading Litigators in America | 2026 | Complex Litigation, esp. Product Liability, Securities, IP |
O’Donoghue’s representations prior to joining Skadden include:
PFAS Environmental and Products Liability Litigation
- co-lead and national counsel for a chemical manufacturer in thousands of environmental and products liability claims in state and federal courts nationwide brought by individuals, municipalities and states alleging groundwater contamination and personal injury as individual claims, consolidated proceedings and class actions
PCB Litigation
- lead national counsel for Monsanto in environmental and products liability litigation in multiple state and federal courts brought by individuals, municipalities and state attorneys general alleging contamination and personal injury claims stemming from chemical exposure
In re Roundup Products Liability Litigation
- co-lead and national counsel for Monsanto in thousands of personal injury products liability suits pending nationwide in multiple state and federal courts
In re Essure
- co-lead and national counsel for Bayer in thousands of product liability claims pending in coordinated federal and several state court litigations related to the use of Essure System for permanent birth control
In re Mirena IUD Products Liability Litigation
- coordination and national counsel for Bayer in thousands of lawsuits in a federal multidistrict litigation (MDL) in New York and state courts around the country involving the Mirena® intrauterine device. After years of fact and expert discovery, the MDL court excluded all of the plaintiffs’ general causation expert testimony and granted summary judgment to Bayer, dismissing more than 1,200 cases
In re Vioxx
- defended Merck & Co., Inc. against allegations that its anti-inflammatory medication Vioxx had caused heart attacks. Specific matters included:
- State of Louisiana v. Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp.: the first state attorney general trial relating to Vioxx, a two-week bench trial that resulted in a verdict for Merck
- Vioxx Governmental Action Cases: as national counsel, settlements of several actions brought by state attorneys general against Merck relating to Vioxx
In re Magnevist Products Liability Litigation
- national counsel for Bayer in individual state cases regarding the company’s Magnevist gadolinium-based contrast agent used in MRI scans
In re Hormone Therapy Litigation
- counsel for Wyeth in product liability litigation involving Premarin and Prempro hormone replacement therapy products that were alleged to cause breast cancer