Prior to joining Slack Davis Sanger, John spent two years as a judicial law clerk for two federal district court judges and then three years at a high-profile class action and environmental law firm in New Orleans. In these positions, John gained expertise in federal court litigation, and specifically in pharmaceutical antitrust class actions, RICO class actions, and environmental natural resource damages litigation.
In 2018 and 2019, John was named as a Super Lawyers® Texas Rising Star in the practice area of Class Action/Mass Torts, the only Austin-based lawyer to receive such recognition. John was also featured in New Orleans CityBusiness Magazine in “Law Firms: Ones to Watch” in 2014. John is licensed to practice law in Texas, California, Louisiana, and Alabama.
In addition to his other cases, John was appointed to the Plaintiffs’ Executive Committee in the Valsartan Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2875 (D.N.J.), a massive pharmaceutical personal injury and economic loss litigation involving the contamination of valsartan-containing blood pressure medications taken by millions of Americans each year.
Barba, et al. v. Shire US Inc., et al. (S.D. Fla.)
The class of Adderall XR consumers alleged that Shire acquired weak patent protection on Adderall XR®, asserted those patents against would-be generic competitors, and then entered into anticompetitive reverse payment settlement agreements whereby Shire paid the generic companies to delay marketing of generic versions of Adderall XR. John was named as class counsel, and the case eventually settled for close to $15 million.
In re: Valsartan Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2875 (D.N.J.)
This adulterated drug MDL litigation involves valsartan-containing blood pressure medications, which were contaminated with the carcinogens NDMA and NDEA. Millions of Americans take valsartan-containing medication each year, and the still-ongoing recall of these medicines is already one of the largest in U.S. history. John was appointed by the MDL-presiding judge, Hon. Robert B. Kugler, to the Plaintiffs’ Executive Committee. The MDL litigation is ongoing and is consolidated in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey.
New Jersey v. ExxonMobil (N.J.)
John represented the State of New Jersey as it asserted environmental natural resource damages (“NRD”) claims against ExxonMobil. The lawsuit involved two of Standard Oil’s first oil refineries (ExxonMobil’s predecessor-in-interest) in operation since the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The case settled for $225 million after a nine-month trial.
Grigson, et al. v. Farmers Group, Inc. (W.D. Tex.)
This putative class action of nearly one million Texas auto insurance policyholders alleges that Farmers discriminated against its existing auto insurance policyholders in favor of new business. The case is pending in the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas, Austin Division.
Johnston, et al. v. Uber Tech., Inc. (N.D. Cal.)
This putative class action of Austin-area Uber drivers alleges that Uber violated the federal WARN Act when it abruptly ceased operations in Austin, Texas. The case is pending in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California.
