HarrisMartin’s Roundup® Litigation Conference Speaker Profiles

Renowned environmental and consumer class action attorney Robin Greenwald, Esq., is one of our distinguished “of counsel” lawyers — meaning, she possesses knowledge and skills that make her of incalculable special importance to our clients and to us.

A former Assistant United States Attorney and Assistant Chief of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Environmental Crimes Section, Ms. Greenwald today heads the Weitz & Luxenberg Environmental Toxic Torts and Consumer Protection Litigation group. She joined Weitz & Luxenberg in 2005 and has since then led her team to several notable triumphs — most recently a trial and a class action settlement as a member of the Plaintiffs Steering Committee in the 2010 British Petroleum oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Her efforts helped to secure full compensation for hundreds of thousands of innocent victims of the spill.

She also successfully served the firm as lead counsel in multidistrict litigation against more than 50 petroleum companies for contaminating the nation’s groundwater with the gasoline additive MTBE (methyl tertiary butyl ether). Her efforts helped to create new law on theories of market share liability and successfully defended against defendants’ preemption arguments.

She is also liaison counsel in the consumer class action against General Motors for knowingly selling several models of vehicles equipped with an ignition switch defect that caused catastrophic injuries and economic loss to those who own the vehicles. She has also brought several lawsuits against insurance carriers and laptop computer makers for breaching individual’s privacy.

Prior to her arrival at Weitz & Luxenberg, Ms. Greenwald was a Clinical Professor of environmental law at Rutgers University School of Law and Director of that institution’s Environmental Law Clinic. From 2001-03, Ms. Greenwald served as Executive Director of the international nonprofit water-conservation organization, Waterkeeper Alliance.

Earlier, beginning in 1999, the U.S. Department of the Interior chose her to serve as General Counsel in the office of its Inspector General. Some years prior to that, she held the position of Deputy Chief in the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Brooklyn, New York and Assistant Chief of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Environmental Crimes Unit in charge of Legislation, Policy and Special Litigation, in Washington, DC.

In 2010, Aimee became a founding partner of Andrus Wagstaff. Currently, she enjoys a thriving civil litigation practice with an emphasis in professional liability, products liability, mass torts, sports law, drug and medical device litigation, commercial litigation, and personal injury cases. Aimee has extensive trial experience.

In 2015, Aimee made MDL history when the Honorable Judge Kathryn H. Vratil appointed her to serve as Co-Lead counsel of the first ever majority women MDL PSC – MDL 2652: In Re: Ethicon, Inc., Power Morcellator Products Liability Litigation, situated in the United States District Court for the District of Kansas. The morcellator litigation involves women and their families all over the United States who have been diagnosed with devastating and permanent injuries, including leiomyosacroma (“LMS,” a deadly form of cancer), following the use of Ethicon’s power morcellator during a fibroid removal or hysterectomy surgery.

Recently, the Honorable Judge Highberger appointed Aimee to serve on the Plaintiffs' Steering Committee of JCCP 4775: In Re Risperdal Product Liability Case, situated in Los Angeles County, California. To date, hundreds of cases have been filed in JCCP 4775 alleging Risperdal and/or Invega caused boys and young men to suffer from gynecomastia.

Additionally, the Honorable Joseph R. Goodwin, Chief Judge, United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia, recently appointed Aimee to serve on the Plaintiffs' Steering Committee of: (1) MDL 2187: In Re C.R. Bard, Inc, Pelvic Repair System Products Liability Litigation; (2) MDL 2325: In Re American Medical Systems, Inc. Pelvic Repair System Products Liability Litigation Repair; (3) MDL 2326: In Re Boston Scientific Corporation, Pelvic Repair System products Liability Litigation; (4) MDL 2327: In Re Ethicon, Inc, Pelvic Repair System Products Liability Litigation; (5) MDL 2387: In Re Coloplast Corp. Pelvic Support Systems Product Liability Litigation; (6) MDL 2440: In Re Cook Medical, Inc. Pelvic Repair System Product Liability Litigation; and (7) MDL: 2511 In Re Neomedic Pelvic Repair System Product Liability Litigation (collectively, TVM MDLs). Judge Goodwin also appointed Aimee to serve on the 8 member national executive committee overseeing the TVM MDLs and to serve as national co-lead of MDL 2326 against Boston Scientific Corporation. To date, Juries across the County, in several different jurisdictions have awarded TVM Plaintiffs over $240,000,000.00. Aimee was part of the trial team against Boston Scientific wherein a jury from the Southern District of West Virginia awarded 4 TVM Plaintiffs $18,500,000.00 after determining that Boston Scientific's Obtryx product was defectively designed.

Aimee was appointed Plaintiffs' co-lead counsel of the Judicial Council Coordinated Proceedings (JCCP) 4615 In Re: Infusion Pump Cases by the Honorable Judge Andler in the Superior Court of California, County of Orange. JCCP 4615 is a products liability proceeding (failure to warn) against several medical device manufacturers after several hundred patients developed chondrolysis following the placement of a pain pump catheter after shoulder surgery.

In March 2013, Aimee founded and hosted the first annual "Women En Mass" retreat that was held in Aspen, Colorado. WEM is an annual working retreat for amazing women in mass torts -- a time to relax and enjoy each other's company while creating new, and fostering old, relationships. If you are interested in attending, check out WEM's website at www.WomenEnMass.com or contact Aimee directly, she would love to include you on the next invite/distribution list. If you are a social media type, "Like" Women En Mass on Facebook.

Prior to founding AW, Aimee gained invaluable experience with the defense bar as she billed countless hours working as a green associate for a large defense firm. Aimee earned her undergraduate degree in Marine Science and Communications from the University of San Diego, where she played on the women's soccer team. After receiving her law degree from the University of Denver, Aimee became actively involved in the Colorado and Denver Bar Associations.