Enter legal issue and location
R. Brent Wisner - Los Angeles, CA
11111 Santa Monica Blvd.Ste. 1750 Los Angeles, CA 90025
Wisner Baum LLP
Los Angeles Class Actions Lawyer
Overview
He is passionate about vindicating the rights of those harmed by corporate wrongdoing. No matter how large the corporation or how much global influence it has, Attorney Wisner never backs down in the face of injustice. He has litigated cases against such companies as Bayer, Eli Lilly, Forest Labs, GlaxoSmithKline, Monsanto and Takeda.
Attorney Wisner's work in the Monsanto Roundup litigation earned him national acclaim as the youngest United States attorney in history to ever win a multi-billion-dollar jury verdict. In 2019, Brent and his team won a historic $2.055 billion verdict against Bayer (formerly Monsanto) for a California couple that alleged repeated exposure to Roundup weed killer caused them to develop non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
A year prior, Brent and his team won the first Roundup case to proceed to trial, a landmark $289 million jury verdict for a California man who developed non-Hodgkin's lymphoma after years of spraying Roundup as a groundskeeper.
Many major legal organizations have recognized Brent and showered him with numerous awards honoring his achievements in the Roundup cancer litigation. Some of his top awards include, the "Clarence Darrow Award" by MTMP, "West Trail Blazer" by ALM, Law360's "MVP of the Year" 2020, Daily Journal "Top 100 Lawyers in California" 2020, ALM and the National Trial Lawyers' "2019 Civil Plaintiff Trial Lawyer of the Year," the National Law Journal's "Winning Litigators-Titans of Industry 2019" and Trial Lawyer Magazine "America's 50 Most Influential Trial Lawyers" 2019. He was also inducted into ALM's "Verdicts Hall of Fame."
Attorney Wisner also served as co-lead counsel in the first multi-million-dollar jury verdict won against a brand name drug manufacturer, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), over the health risks posed by the generic version of GSK's antidepressant drug, Paxil (paroxetine).
When the firm learned of a widow whose husband died by suicide while taking the generic version of Paxil, Attorney Wisner and his colleagues at the firm took on GSK for inadequately warning doctors about how the drug could increase the risk of suicidal behavior in adults of all ages. In 2018 the National Law Journal honored Attorney Wisner and his firm as Elite Trial Lawyers for their work in the generic Paxil suicide case and Law360 awarded him "Titan of the Plaintiffs Bar."
His work in pharmaceutical litigation does not stop at harmful antidepressant medications. Attorney Wisner is one of the nation's leading Zantac (ranitidine) attorneys. He represents many thousands of people throughout the country who allege Zantac (ranitidine) contains a cancer-causing ingredient at levels exponentially higher than the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA's) legal limit.
The judge presiding over the Zantac multidistrict litigation (MDL) appointed Brent to the Practices and Procedures Team to establish protocols for handling the thousands of cases to come. Brent also serves as Co-lead Plaintiffs' Liaison Counsel for the Ranitidine Product Cases, also known as the Ranitidine (Zantac) Judicial Council Coordinated Proceedings (JCCP 5150), California Superior Court for the County of Alameda. He also serves as the American Association for Justice (AAJ) Zantac Litigation Group Co-Chair.
Often chosen as one of a select group of remarkable trial lawyers with victories in high-stakes matters, Attorney Wisner is grateful for the many awards and accolades he has won in the early stage of his career. Not yet in his 40's, Brent is viewed by many in the legal community as one of the country's leading mass tort lawyers. The National Law Journal and VerdictSearch inducted him into the Verdicts Hall of Fame in 2020.
Just a portion of his recognitions from the past few years include the following:
• Clarence Darrow Award, MTMP-Mass Torts Made Perfect, 2021
• Consumer Attorney of the Year, Finalist 2021, Consumer Attorneys of California
• California Powerhouse, Law360 Regional Powerhouse Series, 2021
• The American Lawyer's West Trailblazers, 2021
• America's 50 Most Influential Trial Lawyers 2019, Trial Lawyer Magazine and The National Law Journal
• MVP of the Year 2020, Product Liability, Law360
• Product Liability Practice Group of the Year 2020, Law360
• The Best Lawyers in America© 2021-2022
• The National Trial Lawyers: Top 40 under 40
• Top 40 Under 40 Attorneys in California, 2019, Daily Journal
• Civil Plaintiffs Trial Lawyer of the Year 2019, National Trial Lawyers and ALM
• Top 100 Lawyers in California 2020, Daily Journal
• Top Plaintiffs Lawyers in California, 2019, Daily Journal
• Verdicts Hall of Fame Inductee, The National Law Journal and VerdictSearch
• Elite Trial Lawyers Mass Tort Trial Team of the Year 2019, The National Law Journal and Trial Lawyer Magazine
• Southern California Super Lawyers® Rising Stars, 2016-2020
• Winning Litigators 2019, The National Law Journal
• Titan of the Plaintiffs Bar 2018, Law360
• Superb Score 10 out of 10
• Lawdragon 500 Leading Plaintiff Consumer Lawyer
Attorney Wisner earned his bachelor's degree in philosophy and political science from the University of California, Los Angeles, his master's degree in public policy from Georgetown McCourt School of Public Policy, Washington, D.C., and his law degree from Georgetown University Law Center, Washington, D.C.
A proud UCLA Bruin, Brent served as captain of UCLA's Mock Trial Team, which won back-to-back national championships under his leadership.
At Georgetown, Attorney Wisner was a participant in the Coro Fellowship, which proved to be a formative experience. As a fellow, he was able to work on numerous projects aimed at improving communities with the help of labor unions, Fortune 100 companies, non-profits, and local and federal governments. When he returned home for summer breaks, he worked at the U.S. Attorney's Office in its civil fraud division and as a summer associate at Paul Hastings.
While in law school, Brent interned at the Institute on Religion and Public Policy, where he drafted testimony, affidavits, and declarations for human rights cases. He penned a resolution on the imprisonment of outspoken human trafficking critic Sigma Huda, which passed in the House of Representatives. Brent was also intensely involved in the Georgetown Law Trial Advocacy Program. He earned the title of being one of the institution's most successful mock trial advocates and ended up serving as its managing director.
Before joining Wisner Baum LLP, Attorney Wisner clerked for the Honorable Helen Gillmor in the U.S. District Court for the District of Hawaii, where he worked on several criminal and civil jury trials and gained invaluable appellate court experience when the judge sat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
About R. Brent Wisner
Practice Areas
- Class Actions
- Complex and Multi-District Litigation
- Consumer Fraud Litigation
- Defective Medical Devices
- Personal Injury
- Prescription Drugs
- Monsanto Roundup Cancer
- Product Liability Law
- Toxic Torts
- Wrongful Death Law
Current Employment Position(s)
- Attorney, Managing Partner
Languages
- French
- Spanish
Qualifications
Bar Admissions
- California, 2011
- U.S. District Court Northern District of California, 2012
- U.S. District Court Central District of California, 2013
- U.S. District Court Eastern District of California, 2013
- U.S. District Court Southern District of California, 2013
- U.S. Court of Appeals 1st Circuit, 2013
- U.S. Supreme Court, 2014
- U.S. Court of Appeals 7th Circuit, 2014
- U.S. Court of Appeals 9th Circuit, 2014
- U.S. District Court Southern District of Indiana, 2015
- U.S. District Court Western District of Wisconsin, 2016
- U.S. District Court Northern District of Illinois, 2017
- U.S. District Court District of Colorado, 2016
- U.S. Court of Appeals 11th Circuit, 2020
- District of Columbia, 2021
- District of Columbia Court of Appeals, 2021
Other Affiliations
- State Bar of California (Member)
- Consumer Attorneys of California (Member)
- Consumer Attorneys of Los Angeles (Member)
- American Association for Justice: Leader?s Forum; Products Liability; Section on Toxic, Environmental, and Pharmaceutical Torts; Talcum Powder/Ovarian Cancer Litigation Group; Herbicides and Pesticides Litigation Group; Class Action Litigation Group; Preemption Law Litigation Group (Member)
- Federal Bar Association; Federal Litigation Section; Younger Lawyer Division (Member)
- American Association for Justice, 2020 - Present (Co-Chair Zantac Litigation Group)
Education
- Georgetown University Law Center, Washington, District of Columbia, 2010
Juris Doctor
Honors: Mock Trial: Georgetown Law Barristers’ Council, Trial Advocacy, Managing Director
Law Review: Georgetown Public Policy Review, Executive Editor - Georgetown McCourt School of Public Policy, Washington, District of Columbia
M.A. - University of California, Los Angeles, California, 2005
B.A.
Major: Philosophy and Political Science
Past Positions
- Hon. Helen Gillmor, United States District Court, Honolulu, Hawaii, Law Clerk, 2010 - 2012
- Hon. Marian Blank Horn, United States Court of Federal Claims, Washington, D.C., Judicial Extern, 2009 - Present
- United States Attorney’s Office, Civil Fraud Division, Los Angeles, California, Summer Extern, 2008 - Present
- Office of United States Senator Barbara Boxer, Washington, D.C., Brian Ohleyer Legislative Intern, 2004 - 2005
Classes and Seminars
- Zantac: Census, Criteria, and Case Update, MTMP – Mass Torts Made Perfect, MTMP Virtual Vegas, 2021 - Present
- Baby Food Litigation: The Personal-Injury Component of the Litigation, Harris Martin CLE Conference, Harris Martin’s Webinar Series: Baby Food Litigation, 2021 - Present
- Trial Attorneys: Open for Business – West Coast, Senior Attorney Match, Podcast, 2020 - Present
- Breaking down the 1st Monsanto Roundup trial and $289 verdict, CaseAnalysis.com, Webinar, 2020 - Present
- Zantac Census Plus, Mass Torts Made Perfect Connect, Webinar, 2020 - Present
- Zantac: A Major Health Crisis, Mass Torts Made Perfect Connect, Webinar, 2020 - Present
- Zantac litigation, Roundup litigation, Masters of Mass Tort, Conference, 2020 - Present
- Status of the Zantac Litigation, AAJ – American Association for Justice, Rapid Response Webinar, 2020 - Present
- Zantac: Diving into the Science (NDMA, Ranitidine, and the Risk of Cancer), Harris Martin, Harris Martin’s MDL Conference: Zantac, Sex Trafficking and Emerging, 2020 - Present
- The Science: NDMA, Ranitidine, and the Risk of Cancer, Moderator – Class Actions for Consumers & TPPs (Third-Party Payors), Harris Martin, Harris Martin’s Zantac Litigation Conference, 2020 - Present
- Roundup® Litigation: Trial Recap and Look Ahead, American Association for Justice, American Association for Justice | Educational Seminar, 2019 - Present
- $289M Monsanto Roundup Verdict – Life After the Daubert Ruling and Johnson Trial, The Johnson Trial and JCCP ( Judicial Council Coordination Proceedings), Harris Martin Publishing, 2018 - Present
- Monsanto Roundup Litigation, Mass Torts Made Perfect, MTMP Spectacular Fall Conference, 2017 - Present
- Roundup Class Action, Harris Martin, HarrisMartin’s Roundup® Litigation Conference Agenda, 2017 - Present
- Cymbalta Withdrawal Litigation In re: Cymbalta (Duloxetine) Products, American Association for Justice, AAJ Education’s Plaintiff-Only Hot Topics and Trends in Litigation Seminar, 2014 - Present
Achievements
Other Sources of Feedback About R. Brent Wisner
Included on the 2023 Northern California list
Past Lists
- 2022 Northern California Super Lawyers list
- 2021 Southern California Super Lawyers list
- 2020 Southern California Super Lawyers list
- 2019 Southern California Super Lawyers list
- 2018 Southern California Super Lawyers list
- 2017 Southern California Super Lawyers list
- 2016 Southern California Super Lawyers list
Honors
- Listed, The Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers?
- The National Trial Lawyers Top 40 Under 40
- Selected to: Southern California Super Lawyers® ? Rising Stars, 2016 - 2020
- Avvo.com Superb Score 10 out of 10
- Georgetown Public Policy Review, Executive Editor
- Mock Trial: Georgetown Law Barristers? Council, Trial Advocacy, Managing Director
- Civil Plaintiffs Trial Lawyer of the Year, National Trial Lawyers and ALM, 2019
- America?s 50 Most Influential Trial Lawyers, Trial Lawyer Magazine and The National Law Journal, 2019
- Elite Trial Lawyers Mass Torts Law Firm of the Year, Finalist, ALM and National Law Journal, 2020
- Trial Lawyer of the Year Finalist, Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles, 2019
- Lawdragon 500 Leading Plaintiff Consumer Lawyer
- Winning Litigators, The National Law Journal, 2019
- Top 40 Under 40 Attorneys in California, Daily Journal, 2019
- Elite Trial Lawyers Mass Torts Trial Team of the Year, The National Law Journal and The Trial Lawyer Magazine, 2019
- Top Plaintiffs Lawyers in California, Daily Journal, 2019
- The Round Table: America?s Most Influential Trial Lawyers, Trial Lawyer Magazine and The National Law Journal
- Trial Team of the Year, The National Trial Lawyers Top 100, 2019
- Top 10 Verdicts, Personal Injury, TopVerdict.com, 2018
- Daily Journal Top Verdicts, 2018
- CVN?s Top 10 Most Impressive Plaintiff Verdicts, 2018
- Elite Trial Lawyers, Winner Pharmaceutical Litigation, The National Law Journal, 2018
- Selected: Top 100 Lawyers in California, Daily Journal, 2018
- Law360 Titan of the Plaintiffs Bar (Lifetime Award)
- Top List: Up-And-Coming-100, Southern California Rising Stars, 2018 - 2019
- Product Liability Practice Group of the Year 2020, Law360
- Best Lawyers in America, 2021 - Present
- MVP of the Year 2020, Product Liability, Law360
- Top Plaintiffs Lawyers in California, Daily Journal, 2020 - Present
- Products Liability Trial Lawyers Association, Top 25, President
- Top 100 Lawyers in California, Daily Journal, 2020 - Present
- Verdicts Hall of Fame Inductee, The National Law Journal and Verdict Search
- Top 100 Verdicts 2019, ALM, National Law Journal, Verdict Search (Pilliod et al. v. Monsanto Co.), 2019 - Present
- Number 1 Verdict in California in 2019, Topverdict.com (Pilliod et al. v. Monsanto Co.), 2019 - Present
- Top 10 Verdicts in California in 2019, Topverdict.com (Pilliod et al. v. Monsanto Co.), 2019 - Present
- Number 1 Product Liability Verdict in California in 2018, Topverdict.com (Johnson v. Monsanto Co.), 2018 - Present
- Top 100 Verdicts 2018, ALM, National Law Journal, Verdict Search (Johnson v. Monsanto Co.), 2018 - Present
- Top 10 Product Liability Verdicts in Illinois in 2017, Topverdict.com (Dolin v. GSK), 2017 - Present
- Top 100 Product Liability Verdicts in the U.S. in 2017, Topverdict.com (Dolin v. GSK), 2017 - Present
- Top List: Up-And-Coming-100, 2019 Southern California Rising Stars, 2019 - Present
- Nation’s Top One Percent, National Association of Distinguished Counsel
Office Information
Address
11111 Santa Monica Blvd.Ste. 1750 Los Angeles, CA 90025
Phone
Publication
Articles
- Politics of Enforcement: How the Department of Justice Enforces the Civil False Claims Act, 17 GEO. PUB. POL’Y REV. 43-60, 2012
- Judicial Activism? The Roberts Court in the Coming Term, GEO. PUB. POL’Y REV., 2009
- Asylum Denied: Seeking Asylum in the Age of Terrorism, 12 GEO. PUB. POL’Y REV. 21, 2007
- Expressing the Sense of the House of Representatives Regarding the Violation of the Human Rights of United Nations Special Rapporteur on Trafficking in Persons, Sigma Huda, and Others, by the Caretaker Government of Bangladesh, H. R. 761, 110th Cong., 2007
Representative Cases
- Pilliod et al. v. Monsanto.Company (2019)
- Hardeman vs. Monsanto Company (2019)
- Dewayne “Lee” Johnson vs Monsanto Company (2018)
- Wendy B. Dolin vs GlaxoSmithKline LLC (2017)
- Hagen-Brown vs Eli Lilly (2015)
- Johnson v. Monsanto Co.
When viewing a listing, consider the state advertising restrictions to which lawyers and law firms must adhere, as well as our FindLaw.com Legal Directory disclaimer. Some lawyers publish comparative information regarding the services that they provide which may be subject to specific comparative communications restrictions.
Write Your Review
Fields marked with an * are required
