Johnson & Johnson has initiated a move to disqualify attorney Andy Birchfield and Beasley Allen, the firm he represents, from the ongoing talcum powder multidistrict litigation. The basis of this motion is the new partnership Birchfield and his firm have created with James Conlan, a former associate of Johnson & Johnson and ex-partner at Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath. After terminating his employment at Faegre Drinker, Conlan established his independent venture, Legacy Liability Solutions LLC, last year.
The collaboration between Birchfield, his firm and Conlan was first publicized in a Bloomberg Law article dating back to November 2. This article, penned by Conlan himself, sheds light on their joint endeavour to broker a $19 billion deal aimed at resolving talc lawsuits directed at Johnson & Johnson by ovarian cancer victims.
Further insights into this proposal were shared by Conlan in a November 9 letter addressed to the board of directors at Johnson & Johnson. This particular development has been noted in a motion filed by Johnson & Johnson on Tuesday. The purpose of the motion was to present arguments as to why Birchfield and Beasley Allen should be disqualified from the talc litigation, or at the very least, ousted from the plaintiff’s steering committee. Beasley Allen principal, Leigh O’Dell, is currently serving as the co-lead counsel on this committee.
For more detailed information, you can reference the original report
here.