Overview
Joe Winebrenner is a product liability defense attorney who defends individual, mass tort and class action litigation matters.
Joe is a legal strategist and writer. He focuses on dispositive motion practice, including motions for summary judgment, motions to dismiss and motions to exclude expert testimony. He also has successfully defeated motions for class certification as well as motions to transfer and consolidate for pretrial proceedings under 28 U.S.C. § 1407.
He represents clients in various industries, including technology, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and consumer and construction products. In his work for the world’s premier technology and app-based companies, Joe has shaped legal strategy to seek early dismissal of claims, leverage protections afforded by Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act and the First Amendment, and defeat novel claims of liability asserted under both state and federal law. Joe has further advised clients on the procedural aspects of mass tort litigation, including on issues of transfer and pretrial consolidation, as well as management of mass tort proceedings with the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation.
Joe’s representation of the technology industry in cutting edge product liability actions includes social media platforms, dating platforms, rideshare apps, home stay apps and home services platforms.
Related Legal Services
Related Industries
Credentials
Bar Admissions
Minnesota
Court Admissions
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota
Education
Columbia Law School
J.D. (2007)
University of Chicago
B.A. Phi Beta Kappa, with honors (2003)
Insights & Events
Latest
Insights
News
Other Perspectives
- Minnesota Courtroom Evidence Deskbook: Admission of Expert Testimony in Federal Court
Co-presenter, Evidence Deskbook Webcast Series, Minnesota CLE, August 2017 - Eighth Circuit Clarifies Daubert Standard
Mass Torts Practice Points, ABA Section of Litigation, July 2017 - Fourth Circuit Affirms Summary Judgment Based on Evidentiary Oversight
Mass Torts Practice Points, ABA Section of Litigation, May 2017 - 3D Printing and its Impact on Product Liability
Co-presenter, Minnesota State Bar Association, March 2017 - Supreme Court to Address Constitutional Limits of Personal Jurisdiction
Co-author, Mass Torts Practice Points, ABA Section of Litigation, February 2017 - Denture Cream MDL Loses Its Bite
Co-author, Mass Torts Practice Points, ABA Section of Litigation, October 2016 - Picking Up the Pieces: Litigating after the Big Daubert Ruling
Co-author, Mass Torts Litigation, June 21, 2016 - Minnesota Courtroom Evidence Deskbook: Admission of Expert Testimony in Federal Court
Co-presenter, Evidence Deskbook Webcast Series, Minnesota CLE, May 2016 - Whose Fault Is It Anyway? 3D Printing Product Liability Issues
Co-presenter, University of Minnesota Symposium on Disruptive Innovation: Legal Concerns in 3D Printing, March 2016 - How to Handle the After-Effects of Daubert Rulings
Moderator, American Bar Association, Joint CLE Seminar, January 2016 - Betting the Company: Five Steps to Effective Mass Tort Defense
Co-author, Minnesota Lawyer, North Carolina Lawyers Weekly, South Carolina Lawyers Weekly, September 2015 - First Circuit Strengthens Preemption for Brand-Name Drug Cos.
Co-author, Law 360, May 8, 2015 - Minnesota Courtroom Evidence Deskbook: Admission of Expert Testimony in Federal Court
Co-presenter, Evidence Deskbook Webcast Series, Minnesota CLE, April 2015 - Challenging Expert Evidence in Mass Torts and Class Action Litigation
Co-presenter, ABA Section of Litigation Roundtable, April 2015 - The Significance of Bankruptcy in Mass Torts Litigation
Mass Torts Litigation, January 22, 2015 - Fifth Circuit Recognizes Product-Development Protocol Preemption
Co-author, Mass Torts News & Developments, ABA Section of Litigation, January 2015 - Strategically Selecting Case-Specific Deponents in Personal-Injury Mass-Tort Litigation
Co-author, Mass Torts Litigation, August 20, 2014 - Court Split Over Medical Device Claims Persists
Co-author, Law360, February 10, 2014 - A Lesson on Liability Risks for Device and Pharma Companies
Co-author, Law360, October 21, 2013
Firm Blog Contributions
- Faegre Drinker on Products – a blog addressing all things product liability that covers legal issues and developments of interest to product manufacturers and their employers
Leadership & Community
Pro Bono
- Hennepin & Ramsey County Housing Clinic Volunteer
- In the Matter of the Petition to Adopt B.T., District Court, Juvenile Division, Hennepin County, Minnesota — Member of trial team representing the Guardian ad Litem in a six-day contested adoption proceeding. Obtained a verdict consistent with the Guardian ad Litem's recommendation.
Professional Associations
- American Bar Association — Co-chair, Mass Torts Committee, 2019-present
- American Bar Association — Co-chair, Environmental & Energy, Mass Torts, and Products Liability Litigation Committees' Joint CLE Seminar, 2018
- American Bar Association — Young Lawyers and Experts & Evidence Co-chair, Mass Torts Committee, 2013-19
- Minnesota State Bar Association
- Hennepin County Bar Association
- Leaders Impacting the Non-Profit Community (LINC) — Graduate, 2014
Civic Activities
- CASA Minnesota — Board of Directors
Honors
- Best Lawyers® — Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions - Defendants, 2025
- Benchmark Litigation — Future Star, Product Liability, 2020
- Minnesota Super Lawyers — Rising Star, Personal Injury Defense, 2013-14, 2018-19
No aspect of these recognitions has been approved by the highest court of any state.