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Tara D. Sutton


Practice Groups

Experience

  • Chair of Mass Tort, Medical Malpractice and Personal Injury Litigation Group
  • Trial practice focusing on representing individuals harmed by the pharmaceutical and medical device industry. 
  • Currently litigating cases involving the pain reliever Vioxx, which was voluntarily recalled from the market by Merck because of an increased risk of heart attacks, strokes, and recalled Guidant implantable defibrillators. 
  • Lead trial counsel in Mirapex Multi-District Litigation.

Selected Results*

Trial counsel, State of Minnesota and Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Minnesota v. Philip Morris, et al. In May 1998, the case settled after a four month trial when Tobacco Companies agreed to pay the State and Blue Cross & Blue Shield more than $6.6 billion.

Recognition

  • "Member of the Year" award from the Minnesota Trial Lawyers Association in recognition of work performed during the tobacco litigation.
  • "Newsmakers ‘98" award from the Minnesota Women’s Press in recognition of extraordinary action taken in the public arena during 1998 that promotes equality, justice and respect for women.
  • Named "40 Under 40" by City Business (2000)**
**Being named to the list or receiving the award is not intended and should not be viewed as comparative to other lawyers or to create an expectation about results that might be achieved in a future matter.

Memberships

  • Minnesota State Bar Association
  • American Association for Justice (formerly the Association of Trial Lawyers of America), member of the Section & Litigation Group Coordination Committee
  • Minnesota Association for Justice (formerly Minnesota Trial Lawyers Association)
  • Hennepin County Bar Association
  • Trial Lawyers for Public Justice
  • American Intellectual Property Law Association
  • The Sedona Conference Working Group on Protective Orders, Confidentiality & Public Access (Spring 2004)
  • Firm's Professional Development Committee (2004-2005), Co-Chair

Bar Admissions

  • Minnesota
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Eighth Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit
  • U.S. District Court, Minnesota

Education

  • University of Iowa College of Law, J.D., with honors (1992)
  • University of Iowa, B.S., with high honors

Books and Articles

Selected Speeches

  • So You Are in Federal Court - Now What?
    MTLA, Arrowwood Resort & Conference Center, Alexandria, Minnesota (August 9, 2007)
  • Top 10 Cases You Never Saw Coming-Recognizing Mass Torts
    South Dakota Trial Lawyers Association, Deadwood, South Dakota (September 6-7, 2006)
  • Protecting the Public Health: Scientific Integrity at Risk
    13th Trial Advocacy Seminar (October 26, 2006)
  • Defective Drug and Medical Device Litigation
    MTLA Annual Convention (August 12, 2006)
  • Commencement Speech
    Hamline University, Paralegal Studies Certificate Program (May 16, 2003)
  • Formulating a Discovery Plan in Complex Business Litigation Cases
    MILE Complex Business Litigation Seminar (March 20, 2001)
  • Where There's Smoke There's Fire: An Insider's View of the Minnesota Tobacco Litigation
    Association of University Woman, 3M, Minneapolis, Minnesota (May 26, 1999)

* Past results are reported to provide the reader with an indication of the type of litigation in which we practice and do not and should not be construed to create an expectation of result in any other case as all cases are dependent upon their own unique fact situation and applicable law.

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