Rebecca Fitzpatrick, P.C.
Overview
Rebecca Fitzpatrick is a litigation partner and trial lawyer in Kirkland’s Chicago office. Rebecca focuses on fact- and science-intensive commercial, mass tort, and products liability litigation. She has broad experience in all aspects of major case litigation, and has served as trial counsel in a number of high profile cases. After trying four jury trials in approximately 12 months, Law360 recognized Rebecca as a “Rising Star” for her trial work.
For example, Rebecca served as trial counsel to AbbVie in two bellwether trials in multi-district litigation related to a low-testosterone therapy. Both were victories for AbbVie, and The American Lawyer called the first a “huge win” that “changes the momentum for AbbVie as the MDL unfolds.”
Rebecca also represented Abbott in the fifth trial of an age discrimination lawsuit believed to be one of the longest running civil cases in Ohio state court. After the jury delivered a unanimous verdict for Abbott, The American Lawyer reported that the Kirkland team had “handily dispatched the case.”
Rebecca is currently serving as trial counsel for JUUL Labs, Inc. in litigation involving products liability and marketing claims, DuPont in individual and putative class actions related to alleged chemical emissions, Syngenta in pesticide products liability claims, and Abbott in employment claims.
In addition to her trial work, Rebecca has extensive experience guiding clients through MDLs, mass actions, class actions, and other complex litigation. She has represented, for example, Abbott in obtaining a TRO against theft of trade secrets; Abbott in patent infringement litigation; DuPont in several lawsuits related to alleged groundwater contamination from PFOA and successor chemicals; Boeing in cases related to alleged groundwater contamination from facilities in Washington and California; Rohm & Haas in multiple cases alleging brain cancer caused by asserted exposure to vinyl chloride, the first of which resulted in judgment for Rohm & Haas following an eight-week jury trial; and DuPont, General Electric, and other defendants in several thousand personal injury lawsuits alleging cancers and other diseases due to Cold War era radiation emissions from the Hanford Nuclear Reservation in eastern Washington. She has also achieved dismissal of securities litigation suits against several clients, including Abbott and Goodheart-Willcox, and of an action against Deloitte Tax for alleged tax planning malpractice.
Experience
Representative Matters
JUUL Labs, Inc. Product Liability Litigation: Representing JLI in multi-jurisdiction litigation involving product liability, sales, marketing, and design claims.
DuPont PFAS Litigation: Representing DuPont in several lawsuits related to alleged groundwater contamination from PFAS chemicals.
DuPont Chloroprene Emissions Litigation: Representing DuPont in several individual and putative class actions related to alleged chloroprene emissions from a facility in Louisiana.
Hoffman et al. v. Syngenta: Representing Syngenta in product liability suits related to a pesticide.
Downing v. Abbott Laboratories: Representing Abbott in employment discrimination litigation.
Abbott v. Edwards Lifesciences: Represented Abbott in patent infringement litigation related to heart repair device.
In re Testosterone Replacement Therapy Products Liability Litigation: Represented AbbVie in multi-district litigation related to a low-testosterone therapy. Tried two bellwether cases to verdict, both victories for AbbVie. The American Lawyer called the first a “huge win” that “changes the momentum for AbbVie as the MDL unfolds.”
Jelinek v. Abbott Laboratories: Represented Abbott in the fifth trial of an age discrimination lawsuit believed to be one of the longest running civil cases in Ohio state court. After the jury delivered a unanimous verdict for Abbott, The American Lawyer likened the case to “Groundhog Day,” but noted that plaintiff’s persistence was “not working” any longer, as the Kirkland team had “handily dispatched the case.”
Boeing Groundwater Litigation: Represented Boeing in several cases related to alleged groundwater contamination from facilities in Washington and California.
Aaron v. Deloitte Tax: Represented Deloitte Tax in an action brought by the Estate of William Davidson, former owner of Guardian Industries and the Detroit Pistons, alleging estate and tax planning malpractice. Prevailed on motion to dismiss and successfully defended the judgment on appeal.
Century America v. DeProfio, et al.: Represented the directors of Goodheart-Willcox, a textbook publishing company, in securities litigation related to a stock buy-back. Case was dismissed with prejudice.
In re Hanford Nuclear Reservation: Represented DuPont, General Electric, and other defendants in several thousand personal injury lawsuits alleging cancers and other diseases due to Cold War era radiation emissions from the Hanford Nuclear Reservation in eastern Washington. All cases have settled following bellwether trials and voluntary and involuntary dismissals.
Branham v. Rohm & Haas: Represented Rohm & Haas in multiple cases alleging brain cancer caused by asserted exposure to vinyl chloride. The first case resulted in judgment for Rohm & Haas following an eight-week jury trial.
Snizavich v. Rohm & Haas: Represented Rohm & Haas in case alleging that workplace exposure to chemicals at research facility caused brain cancer cluster. Court granted Frye motion to exclude plaintiff’s chief causation expert and entered judgment for Rohm & Haas one day before trial.
Clerk & Government Experience
Special Assistant U.S. AttorneyThe United States Attorney's Office, Middle District of North Carolina
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Credentials
Admissions & Qualifications
- 2009Illinois
Courts
- United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Trial Bar
Education
- University of Chicago Law SchoolJ.D.with Honors2009
- Northwestern UniversityB.A., Economics & Political Science2006