Christopher A. Seeger

Christopher A. Seeger is an American lawyer who specializes in multidistrict mass tort and class action litigation. He received the most multidistrict litigation (MDL) appointments of any lawyer between 2016 and 2019 according to an 2020 ALM study.[1] Seeger is a founding partner of the firm Seeger Weiss LLP.

Christopher A. Seeger
Seeger at his New York office
Born (1960-04-14) April 14, 1960
New York, New York, U.S.
Alma materHunter College
Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law
OccupationLawyer
EmployerSeeger Weiss LLP
Known forFounder of Seeger Weiss LLP
Lead Counsel, Federal NFL Concussion Litigation
Plaintiffs' Steering Committee and Settlement Committee, Volkswagen "Clean Diesel" Mulitdistrict Litigation

Early life

A native of New York City, Seeger is the son of a union carpenter and a homemaker. He pursued an amateur boxing career until he was 22. Seeger worked as a carpenter before beginning his undergraduate studies at Hunter College.[2]

Seeger graduated summa cum laude from Hunter in 1987, and magna cum laude from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in 1990. While in law school, he served as managing editor of the Cardozo Law Review.[3]

Career

Seeger's first job out of law school was with a "white-shoe" firm that represented major corporations, which he left in 1993 to work instead on behalf of plaintiffs'.[4] In 1999 he co-founded with Stephen A. Weiss the plaintiffs’ law firm Seeger Weiss LLP. As of 2020, the firm maintains offices in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.[5]

In 2003, Seeger recovered a $2 million verdict following a six-week jury trial against drug maker Pfizer on behalf of a Brooklyn resident who sustained livery injury following her use of the diabetes medication Rezulin. The case was the first Rezulin matter to be tried in New York and represented a watershed result in the nationwide Rezulin litigation. Seeger subsequently reached a global settlement with Pfizer on behalf of his firm's clients.[6]

In 2005, Seeger was appointed co-lead counsel of Vioxx-related MDL against Merck by U.S. District Judge Eldon Fallon.[7] In 2007, Seeger won a $47.5 million verdict on behalf of an individual plaintiff, Idaho postal worker Frederick "Mike" Humeston, who suffered a heart attack after taking the drug.[8] In 2008, Seeger was a lead negotiator in the $4.85 billion Vioxx settlement on behalf of plaintiffs.[9] Seeger was one of the first lawyers to file a Vioxx-related injury lawsuit against Merck.[10]

In 2009, Seeger represented homeowners who had defective Chinese-manufactured drywall installed in their homes. The drywall emitted noxious fumes which caused headaches and rashes, made breathing difficult,[11][12] and damaged household wiring and plumbing.[13] Seeger secured the initial trial victories against the companies that produced and distributed the drywall, paving the way for a subsequent $1 billion nationwide settlement.[14]

In 2011, he was appointed to the Plaintiffs' Executive Committee in the multidistrict litigation related to DePuy Orthopaedics' defective hip implants,[15] which resulted in DePuy's parent company Johnson & Johnson agreeing to a global settlement of $2.5 billion.[16]

Since 2012, Seeger served as lead counsel representing retired NFL players in a suit brought against the league for distorting the dangers of concussion injuries. He negotiated a settlement in which the NFL agreed to pay an uncapped amount, over $1.5 billion,[17] to address the medical costs of over 20,000 former players who suffered traumatic brain injuries during their professional careers. The settlement was approved by a federal court and upheld by the Third Circuit Court of Appeals in April 2016.[18] As of June 29, 2020, more than $785 million in claims have been approved.[19]

In 2016, Seeger was appointed to the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee in the “clean diesel” litigation against German automaker Volkswagen in connection to the company's project to game the emissions tests on their cars. He also served on the settlement committee, which negotiated an approximately $14 billion settlement with VW on behalf of plaintiffs.[20][21][22]

In 2017, Seeger served as lead negotiator in litigation against agrochemical giant Syngenta regarding Viptera genetically modified corn.[22] The settlement, reached in 2018, totaled $1.5 billion for plaintiffs (primarily U.S. corn farmers).[23] It represents the largest agricultural litigation settlement in U.S. history.[24]

In 2019, Seeger was appointed co-lead counsel in multidistrict litigation against 3M. He represents over 140,000 veterans suffering from hearing loss after using earplugs 3M sold to the U.S. Department of Defense, and which the suit claims the company knew to be faulty.[25]

Since 2019, Seeger has served as interim co-lead counsel for a proposed "negotiation class" of local governments in the pursuit of a nationwide settlement against drug companies in multidistrict opioid litigation.[26]

Personal life

Since his time as an amateur boxer,[27] Seeger has also competed in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and was awarded first place for his age and weight class in the 2012 Pan American No-Gi Jiu Jitsu Championship.[3][28] He received his black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu in 2017.[29]

Awards and recognition

Seeger is an elected member of the American Law Institute and a Fellow of the International Society of Barristers. He sits on the Advisory Boards at both the New York University Law School Civil Justice center and the Duke Law School Center for Judicial Studies. He is a member the National Trial Lawyers Round Table.

See also

Notes
  1. Bronstad, Amanda (July 8, 2020). "ALM Study Shows Progress for Women in MDL Leadership". ALM. Retrieved July 9, 2020.
  2. Johnson, Linda A. (September 14, 2005). "Attorney ready to rumble". Orange County Register. Retrieved July 9, 2020.
  3. "Christopher A. Seeger firm profile". seegerweiss.com. Retrieved February 7, 2017.
  4. "Yelp: Seeger Weiss LLP". Retrieved July 9, 2020.
  5. "Seeger Weiss: Our Firm". seegerweiss.com. Retrieved July 9, 2020.
  6. "Seeger Weiss: Rezulin". seegerweiss.com. Retrieved July 9, 2020.
  7. "Alabama attorney appointed co-lead counsel in Vioxx lawsuits". Birmingham Business Journal. April 11, 2005. Retrieved July 10, 2020.
  8. Won Tesoriero, Heather (March 13, 2007). "Jury Awards $47.5 Million To Man in Vioxx Retrial". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved July 10, 2020.
  9. "Merck will fund Vioxx settlement". Associated Press. July 8, 2020. Retrieved July 9, 2020.
  10. "Ex-boxer, attorney takes on Merck". East Valley Tribune. September 18, 2005. Retrieved July 9, 2020.
  11. Halford, Bethany (May 4, 2009). "Wallboard Woes". Chemical & Engineering News. 87 (18): 50–51. doi:10.1021/cen-v087n018.p050.
  12. "Imported Drywall and Health: A Guide for Healthcare Providers". Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. March 3, 2011. Retrieved February 7, 2017.
  13. "Seeger Weiss Wins Again for Plaintiffs in Chinese Drywall Verdict, as Federal Judge Awards New Orleans Family $164,000 in Damages". NewsRx.com. May 15, 2010: 107. ProQuest 215443435. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  14. "Seeger Weiss Prevails for Plaintiffs in First Chinese Drywall Verdict, as Federal Judge Awards Seven Virginia Families $2.6 Million for Remediation". NewsRx.com. ProQuest 195416548. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  15. "Christopher A. Seeger Appointed to Plaintiffs' Executive Committee in Multidistrict Depuy Hip Implant Litigation". seegerweiss.com. January 27, 2011. Retrieved February 7, 2017.
  16. Dye, Jessica (November 19, 2013). "J&J unit to pay $2.5 billion in U.S. hip implant settlement". Reuters. Retrieved February 7, 2017.
  17. Mitchell, Max (December 12, 2016). "Supreme Court Rejects NFL Settlement Challenge". The Legal Intelligencer. Retrieved February 7, 2017.
  18. Red, Christian (June 1, 2016). "Federal appeals court denies en banc hearing in NFL concussion lawsuit". New York Daily News. Retrieved February 7, 2017.
  19. "Historic NFL Concussion Settlement's Benefits Critical for Retired Players and their Families". seegerweiss.com. Retrieved July 9, 2020.
  20. Kennedy, Merrit (January 11, 2017). "Volkswagen To Plead Guilty, Pay $4.3 Billion In Emissions Scheme Settlement". NPR. Retrieved February 7, 2017.
  21. Lam, Bourree (June 24, 2016). "Volkswagen's $10 Billion Settlement". The Atlantic. Retrieved February 7, 2017.
  22. Archer, Rick (May 15, 2018). "Titan Of The Plaintiffs Bar: Seeger Weiss' Christopher Seeger". Law 360. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
  23. Dornbrook, James (March 18, 2020). "Payments from $1.5B Syngenta settlement led by KC firm will begin soon". Kansas City Business Journal. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
  24. Dornbrook, James (March 13, 2018). "KC law firm reaches $1.51B settlement in corn seed case". Kansas City Business Journal. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
  25. Thayer, Rose L. (April 29, 2020). "Judge unseals hundreds of pages of documents in veterans' lawsuit against 3M over earplugs". Stars and Stripes. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
  26. Overley, Jeff (August 19, 2019). "Lead Attys Approved For Opioid MDL 'Negotiation Class'". Law 360. Retrieved July 9, 2020.
  27. Akers, W.M. (October 20, 2010). "Judge Judo: Lawyer Chris Seeger Takes His Case Ringside". New York Observer. Retrieved February 7, 2017.
  28. "2012 Pan No-Gi Grappling Championships (New York)". Jiu Jitsu BJJ Legends. September 30, 2012. Archived from the original on February 8, 2017. Retrieved February 7, 2017.
  29. "bio" (PDF). seegerweiss.com. May 31, 2018. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
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