Retail

Johnson & Bell’s Retail group has vast experience in handling a variety of retail issues. Our attorneys have successfully litigated cases involving premises liability, intentional torts, product liability, mass torts, drug recalls and withdrawals from the market, multi-district litigation involving pharmaceuticals, real estate leases and related matters, class action claims, employment and privacy actions.

We have represented clients before state and federal courts throughout the country, as well as administrative agencies and arbitration panels. Our retail clients include several Fortune 500 companies.

In addition to litigating disputes, we provide services and counseling to clients regarding record retention, development of policies and procedures, quality control and contract matters. Johnson & Bell has been utilized as the document depository for mass tort matters and utilizes software products to store document data for its retail clients. Our lawyers are well qualified to advise retail clients in all aspects of their businesses.

Representative Cases

Represented a national pharmacy chain in the defense of a large number of serious personal injury claims as a result of the use of products containing Ephedra. Due to several manufacturer bankruptcies, this litigation resulted in both multi-district litigation in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York and five separate bankruptcy mediations in New York, New Jersey, California and Canada. The largest piece of this litigation resulted in a mediated multi-million dollar settlement of more than 270 claims, involving more than 50 defendants.

Represented a national pharmacy chain as national counsel in the following mass tort matters: L-Tryptophan; Fen/Phen; Albuterol; Baycol; Vioxx; Bextra; Celebrex; Hormone Replacement Therapy; PPA and other matters. This representation included negotiation of defense/indemnity agreements, document collection, review and production as well as all other aspects of these mass tort matters.

Represented a pharmacy defendant in a wrongful death case involving a 46-year-old male, leaving a wife and three adult children where the decedent, a chronic pain patient, allegedly died as a result of an overdose of methadone prescribed by his pain clinic physician and dispensed as written by the pharmacy. The theory against the pharmacy involved failure to warn of an alleged dramatic increase in methadone and supposed dangerous interactions with other drugs dispensed by the pharmacy. The pharmacy defendant ultimately prevailed on its summary judgment motion.

Represented a pharmacy defendant in a wrongful death case involving a 57-year-old female, leaving two adult children where the decedent was involved in a single motor vehicle accident leaving her in a paraplegic state and ultimately succumbing to her injuries several years later. The decedent had a long history of uncontrolled seizure disorder, and the theory against the pharmacy was that it voluntarily undertook a duty to warn the decedent not to drive when dispensed an anti-seizure medication. The pharmacy defendant prevailed on its summary judgment motion based on plaintiff’s failure to sustain the proximate cause and duty elements of the claims against the pharmacy.

Obtained summary judgment on behalf of a retail business that sold SCUBA equipment to a drowning victim whose estate claimed wrongful death due to a defective buoyancy control device and breathing regulator.

Represented a national retailer in a wrongful death case where a product allegedly caused a home fire resulting in both injuries and a death.

Successfully obtained dismissal of class action claims in a consumer fraud action. Xydakys v. Target, Inc. 333 F.Supp.2d 683 (D.Ill.2004).

Obtained judgment notwithstanding verdict and successfully defended appeal on a wrongful death and survival action against a national pharmacy retailer in a case involving the death of a minor with allegations that the retailer did not provide the minor with a full prescription of an antipsychotic medication resulting in the minor’s suicide. Crumpton v. Walgreen Co., state.il.us/court/opinions/Appellate Court/2007/1st District/June/1060734.