Peter A. Meyer

Medical Device Mass Torts & Product Liability

Peter has achieved successful results for many of the world’s leading medical device companies while serving as national and co-lead defense counsel in MDLs and single-plaintiff cases, spearheading efforts in every facet of the litigations. He has achieved multiple wins in bellwether cases, both through full summary judgment rulings on the merits and through trial victories.

For deployment in expert witness and litigation consulting roles, Peter has built and leverages relationships with top industry experts in engineering, biomaterials, medicine and regulatory compliance, and helps them transform into powerful and confident witness advocates. He is well-versed in building the client’s case through strategic defense of company and sales representative depositions and in defeating plaintiffs’ expert witnesses through depositions and Daubert briefings.

He also manages mass tort e-discovery vendors, including identifying and handling custodians, training human document reviewers on litigation subject matter, and using technology-assisted review (TAR) to reduce clients’ expenses.

Peter develops and leads strategic settlement plans to stifle attempts to build mass torts, as well as to limit client expense and exposure. He manages fixed-fee arrangements in large-scale litigations, and coordinates with in-house counsel on legal department budgeting. To resolve mass torts at their conclusion and limit “tail” exposure, he negotiates and implements settlement programs, including obtaining Lone Pine orders that discourage further filings of unmeritorious cases. To preserve favorable trial court outcomes, Peter has successfully briefed and argued appeals.

Medical Device Representative Experience

• In re Zimmer NexGen Knee MDL, MDL No. 2272: Achieved numerous bellwether victories through trial, summary judgment and voluntary dismissals, and negotiated and administered a global resolution program.
• In re Zimmer M/L Taper and M/L Taper with Kinectiv Hip Prosthesis MDL, MDL No. 2859: Achieved a Daubert and summary judgment victory in the initial bellwether trial, leading promptly to a favorable global resolution program.
• Webb v. Zimmer, Inc., et al.: A full defense victory via summary judgment.
• Cassatt v. Zimmer, Inc., et al.: A full defense victory via summary judgment, and a successful defense on appeal.

Product Counseling & Risk Management

Peter counsels and collaborates with medical device and life science companies on quality-system regulations, internal investigations and audits, procedures for postmarket surveillance and adverse-event handling, product labeling, and risk management to limit liability exposure before it forms.

He also has developed and orchestrated attacks on the advertising of plaintiffs’ firms, including creating materials to counter plaintiffs’ narratives, and coordinating campaigns of cease-and-desist letters to end false advertisements.

Corporate Counsel Experience

As associate general counsel at a leading medical device manufacturer, Peter coordinated the defense of a multidistrict litigation with sizeable coordinated state court litigations.