Mark Lanier

Mark Lanier is the founder of The Lanier Law Firm, with offices in New York, Houston, and Los Angeles. Lanier's reputation as one of the country's top trial lawyers is based on courtroom battles involving some of the world's largest companies. Lanier won the nation's first verdict over the controversial pain medication VIOXX, and helped clear the way for a nationwide settlement for all VIOXX users. Lanier and his team are recognized in prestigious legal journals based on their work in intellectual property and business litigation, and claims involving toxic exposures, serious personal injuries, dangerous prescription drugs, defective products, medical malpractice and maritime law.

Mark’s most recent courtroom experience is significant and diverse, including:

• In 2021- 2022 – Mark led the national trial team that secured a historic $650.6 million jury verdict against retail pharmacies operated by Walmart, CVS, and Walgreens.  The jury affirmed that the pharmacies had failed to follow guidelines that would have curtailed the staggering distribution of highly addictive opioid painkillers.  This was followed by another historic $1.85 billion settlement reached, in Texas, with opioid manufacturers and distributors and was preceded by a $260 million settlement with opioid distributors AmeriSource Bergen Corp., Cardinal Health Inc., McKesson Corp. and Teva on behalf of two other Ohio counties on similar claims. 
• In 2018 - A record setting $4.69 billion verdict on behalf of 22 women and their families who alleged that decades of daily use of Johnson & Johnson’s asbestos-laden talcum powder products caused their ovarian cancer. This verdict was named National Law Journal’s Top Verdict of 2018.  Johnson & Johnson took the verdict to the United States Supreme Court. On June 1^st, 2021 the court rejected the J&J appeal in a brief written order, effectively ending the case and leaving in place a Missouri appeals-court ruling against the company.
• In December 2016 he earned a $1 Billion combined jury verdict in a products liability case over defective hip implants against defendant DePuy Orthopaedics Inc., a subsidiary of health care giant Johnson & Johnson.
• In March 2016, he secured a multi-million dollar verdict in the same federal court in the initial bellwether trial against DePuy and Johnson & Johnson over the metal-on-metal hip implants.