Baum Hedlund Aristei & Goldman changed its name to Wisner Baum in January 2023.

Settlements and Verdicts

Client Focused. Trial Ready. Billions Won.

Top legal publications have recognized Wisner Baum for notable verdicts and settlements across several areas of practice:

  • Largest California Product Liability Jury Verdicts Two Years in a Row 2018-2019
  • Top 10 National Jury Verdicts Two Years in a Row 2018-2019
  • Top 10 Most Impressive Plaintiff Verdicts 2019
  • Top 20 National Jury Verdicts 2018
  • Top 10 Illinois Product Liability Jury Verdicts 2017
  • Top 10 Illinois Wrongful Death Jury Verdicts 2017
  • Top 50 Illinois Jury Verdicts 2017
  • Top 100 National Wrongful Death Jury Verdicts 2017

In 2019, our firm and co-counsel won a historic $2 billion Roundup verdict against Monsanto (now Bayer), the ninth-largest personal injury jury verdict in United States history and the largest jury verdict in the state of California in 2019.

Our personal injury attorneys represented Alberta and Alva Pilliod, a couple who sprayed Monsanto’s Roundup weed killer for 30 years on their properties. The jury determined that Roundup exposure caused the couple to develop non-Hodgkin lymphoma and that Monsanto failed to warn of the cancer risk. This was the third successful verdict against Monsanto concerning Roundup. Our firm served on the trial team in all three of the first Monsanto trials, and the firm’s vice president, R. Brent Wisner, served as co-lead trial counsel in all but one of the first three trials.

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In recognition of the verdict in Pilliod et al. v. Monsanto Co., R. Brent Wisner, co-lead trial counsel for the Pilliods, was awarded 2019 Civil Plaintiff Trial Lawyer of the Year by the National Trial Lawyers and ALM, and listed in the Top 40 Under 40 Attorneys in California by the Daily Journal, Winning Litigators by The National Law Journal and America’s 50 Most Influential Trial Lawyers by Trial Magazine and The National Law Journal. Our firm was also a finalist in 2019 for Elite Trial Lawyers Mass Torts Law Firm of the Year for the third year in a row.

In 2018, our firm and co-counsel won a $289 million verdict against Monsanto on behalf of Dewayne “Lee” Johnson. In recognition of our work, the National Trial Lawyers Top 100 awarded our trial team and co-counsel with “2019 Trial Team of the Year.” Additionally, The National Law Journal and Trial Lawyer Magazine named trial attorney R. Brent Wisner, co-lead trial counsel on the Johnson case, one of “America’s Most Influential Trial Lawyers” and the Daily Journal recognized Brent in the “Daily Journal Top 100 Lawyers for 2018.”

The National Law Journal and ALM Media also awarded our firm two years in a row with the distinguished honor of “Elite Trial Lawyers” first place winner for Pharmaceutical Litigation based on our firm’s work in a high-profile generic Paxil suicide case against drug manufacturer GlaxoSmithKline. The jury verdict in the case of Dolin v. GlaxoSmithKline earned our firm top verdict recognition for the state of Illinois and the nation for 2017.

Our Accident Attorneys Win Big Cases Against Big Companies

Our success in the courtroom and at the negotiating table is not limited to mass torts and pharmaceutical product liability cases. Since 1973, our accident attorneys have secured numerous 7+ figure settlements and verdicts on behalf of clients injured or killed in transportation accidents, including truck crashes, bus crashes, train accidents, aviation accidents, and boating accidents.

$265 Million Settlement in Amtrak Train Crash Case

In 2015, Amtrak Train 188 derailed with 245 passengers on board in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The train was traveling in excess of 100 miles per hour as it approached a curve in the track subject to a speed limit of 50 miles per hour. Eight passengers lost their lives. Many were catastrophically or seriously injured. Many claims ensued from the derailment and Amtrak accepted liability for compensatory damages.

In 2016, the Court overseeing the claims from the Amtrak 188 derailment approved a $265 million settlement, which was negotiated by Amtrak and the Plaintiffs’ Management Committee. Wisner Baumattorney Timothy A. Lorangerwas one of seven attorneys to serve on the Plaintiffs’ Management Committee.

$123 Million Jury Verdict in Bus Crash Case - $20 Million to Our Client

Accident attorney Timothy A. Loranger represented the family of a women who was tragically killed in a 2015 crash between a charter bus and an amphibious duck boat vehicle on the Aurora Bridge in Seattle, Washington. The case, which was bundled with 42 other claimants, proceeded to trial in 2018 with Karen Koehler from the law firm of Stritmatter Kessler Whelan Koehler Moore serving as lead trial counsel in the case. As part of the trial team for the plaintiffs, Tim conducted extensive pre-trial work pertaining to liability issues, mechanical defects and service bulletins. After roughly four months of trial proceedings, the jury issued a verdict of $123 million to the claimants, including $20 million to our client.

Our past performance, verdicts and settlements do not constitute a guarantee, warranty, or prediction regarding the outcome of future cases. Past results obtained or overall performance must be confined to that particular case, its factual and legal circumstances and legal surroundings. Every case is different and must be judged on its own merits.

  • $2,000,000,000
    Pilliod et al. v. Monsanto Co.
    In May of 2019, the jury in the case of Pilliod et al. v, Monsanto Company ordered the agrochemical giant to pay $2.055 billion in damages to the plaintiffs, Alva and Alberta Pilliod , a Bay Area couple in their 70s. R. Brent Wisner served as co-lead ...
  • $289,200,000
    Dewayne “Lee” Johnson v. Monsanto Co.
    $289.2 million jury verdict in Monsanto Roundup trial Baum Hedlund Aristei & Goldman co-represented Dewayne “Lee” Johnson in the first Roundup cancer lawsuit to proceed to trial. On Aug. 10, 2018, a San Francisco jury ordered Monsanto to pay $39.25 ...
  • $265,000,000
    Fatal Train Crash
    In 2016, Baum Hedlund Aristei & Goldman attorney Timothy A. Loranger and six other attorneys in the Plaintiffs’ Management Committee were able to secure a $265 million settlement for victims of the 2015 Amtrak 188 derailment in Philadelphia, one of ...
  • $105,000,000
    Pharmaceutical Settlement
    $105 million pharmaceutical settlement (multiple clients)
  • $80,000,000
    Hardeman v. Monsanto Co.
    Baum Hedlund Aristei & Goldman attorneys served on the trial team in the case of Hardeman v. Monsanto Company , which resulted in an $80 million jury verdict for the plaintiff, Edwin Hardeman. The judge later reduced Mr. Hardeman’s damages to $25.2M. ...
  • $63,000,000
    Paxil Pediatric Class Action
    $63 million pediatric class action re false promotion of Paxil. Judge approves final terms of improved national pediatric paxil class action settlement – consumers get a better deal. READ MORE
  • $40,000,000
    Third-Party Payer Class Action
    $40 million third-party payer class action re off-label promotion of Paxil. Judge approves $40 million settlement in second phase of national pediatric paxil class action – insurance companies to be reimbursed. READ MORE
  • $28,000,000
    Defective Drug Class Action
    $28 million Paxil defective drug class action. A class action has been brought in the US territory of Puerto Rico against UK-based drug major GlaxoSmithKline. READ MORE
  • $20,000,000
    Duck Boat & Bus Crash
    Baum Hedlund Aristei & Goldman attorney Timothy A. Loranger served on the trial team in the case of Dinh et al. v. Ride the Ducks International et al. , which stemmed from the 2015 crash in Seattle, Washington between an amphibious duck boat vehicle ...
  • $18,000,000
    Whistleblower Settlement
    One of our more successful whistleblower lawsuits was against the Boeing Company. Boeing paid $18 million to settle our client’s case , which alleged the company violated the terms of its defense contract with the US government. Our firm presented ...
  • $17,500,000
    A Major US Plane Crash
    $17.5 million settlement for the death of a passenger in a major US plane crash
  • $15,000,000
    Commercial Truck Accident
    $15 million settlement for a person gravely injured by a major truck company
  • $14,000,000
    A Major US Plane Crash
    $14 million settlement for the death of a passenger in a major US plane crash
  • $12,000,000
    Helicopter Crash
    $12 million settlement for an injured passenger in a helicopter crash
  • $10,000,000
    A Major Foreign Plane Crash
    $10 million settlement for the death of a passenger in a major foreign plane crash
  • $10,000,000
    Celexa-Lexapro Pediatric Class Action
    $10 million pediatric class action re false promotion of Celexa and Lexapro. Babies born to women who have used Lexapro and other similar medications such as Zoloft, Celexa, Prozac, Paxil and Symbyax are at an increased risk for birth defects. READ M ...
  • $10,000,000
    School Bus Accident
    $10 million settlement for a school bus crash in Orange County, California . In 2017, Baum Hedlund Aristei & Goldman reached a settlement of nearly $10 million with Orange Unified School District (OUSD) in California on behalf of families of children ...
  • $9,000,000
    Drug Injury
    $9 million settlement for a single client’s drug injury
  • $8,500,000
    Commercial Truck Accident
    A successful truck accident trial was conducted in Ohio, where our firm successfully brought to trial a commercial truck accident case against Tyson Foods, where our clients were awarded $7,028,687 for the loss of their son, a single young adult. ...
  • $8,500,000
    Whistleblower Settlement
    $8.5 million settlement for Neuroscience / Pharmasan Labs improper billing over unnecessary or questionable tests.
  • $8,450,000
    Whistleblower Settlement
    $8.45 million settlement for MB2 Dental Solutions improper billing and kickbacks.
  • $6,900,000
    Truck Accident Settlement
    After a semi-truck drove over a stopped car, killing two of its occupants and injuring the third, one of our attorneys took the case all the way to trial. The trucking company admitted fault before trial, but insisted that the damages were no more ...
  • $6,500,000
    Whistleblower Settlement
    $6.5 million settlement for San Diego Hospice healthcare fraud.
  • $6,200,000
    Fatal Bus Crash
    $6.2 million settlement for a child killed in a bus crash
  • $6,000,000
    Fatal Truck Accident
    $6 million settlement for a wrongful death case in a truck crash
  • $3,500,000
    Fatal Train Crash
    $3.5 million settlement for the death of a train passenger
  • $2,800,000
    Wrongful Death
    $2.8 million wrongful death settlement for a train passenger
  • $2,000,000
    Fatal Train Crash
    $2 million settlement for the death of a train passenger
  • $1,900,000
    Foreign Bus Crash
    $1.9 million settlement for a tourist killed in a foreign bus crash
  • $1,800,000
    Tour Bus Crash
    $1.8 million wrongful death settlement for a tour bus passenger
  • $1,700,000
    Fatal School Bus Crash
    $1.7 million for a child killed in a school bus crash
  • $1,300,000
    Whistleblower Settlement
    $1.3 million settlement for West Alabama Emergency Physicians for Medicare fraud.
  • $1,250,000
    Police Misconduct
    $1.25 million settlement obtained from the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) for a peaceful protestor injured by LAPD officers. Without warning or justification, LAPD officers fired tear gas, sponge grenades, and rubber bullets at the crowd and at ...
  • $1,200,000
    Whistleblower Settlement
    $1.2 million settlement for Bizlink Technology underpaying customs fees

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