Litigator of the Week Runners-Up and Shout-Outs

Devora Allon, Kevin Neylan and Cole Carter were recognized as runners-up for The American Lawyer Litigation Daily's "Litigator of the Week" for their work for GlaxoSmithKline.

"... A Kirkland & Ellis team led by Devora Allon, Kevin Neylan and Cole Carter secured an appellate ruling vacating a class certification order in a RICO lawsuit against pharmaceutical client GlaxoSmithKline with estimated damages of around $1 billion. Plaintiffs, a group of third-party payors who cover prescriptions for GSK’s blockbuster diabetes drug Avandia, claimed the company misrepresented its cardiovascular risks and benefits, causing more health care providers to prescribe it over cheaper alternatives. This week, the Third Circuit—joining the First, Second and Ninth Circuits—concluded that plaintiffs need to establish causation, “not merely correlation,” when using statistical evidence to prove the defendant was responsible for their injuries in pharmaceutical fraud RICO class actions. The appellate team included Jay Lefkowitz, who retired from Kirkland while the case was pending, and Kyle Dolinsky and Robin Sumner of Troutman Pepper Locke."