Laura Fitzpatrick brings more than 15 years of experience to complex mass tort litigation representing those harmed by companies involved with the production, marketing, and distribution of harmful medical drugs and devices. She also litigates against social media companies accused of engaging in policies that directly endanger children.
Laura is part of the team representing dozens of cities, towns, counties, and townships in the National Prescription Opiate MDL, which targets opioid manufacturers, distributors, pharmacies, and others alleged to have contributed to the opioid crisis. Prior to joining Motley Rice, Laura was a key member of multiple opioid trial teams at both the federal and state level, including work that helped secure substantial jury verdicts and significant settlements against manufacturers, distributors, and retail pharmacies. In particular, Laura was a member of the trial team that secured the first ever jury verdict against the chain pharmacy defendants, ordering CVS, Walgreens, and Wal Mart to pay $650.5 million* in abatement fees for their involvement in the opioid crisis in two Ohio counties.Beyond opioid litigation, Laura has extensive experience in defective medical drugs and devices litigation. She served as a key member of the trial team for all bellwether trials in the DePuy Pinnacle MDL involving injuries from metal-on-metal hip implants, where she oversaw liability development, led depositions, crafted trial strategy, and supported trial leadership. Her work contributed to jury verdicts totaling nearly $1.75 billion* across multiple trials. Additionally, Laura served on the Plaintiffs’ Executive Committee (PEC) in In re: Allergan Biocell Implant Products Liability Litigation, MDL 2921, which involves claims that Allergan’s Biocell textured breast implants were linked to a rare cancer known as breast implant associated anaplastic large-cell lymphoma (BIA-ALCL).Laura has spoken about opioid litigation at Mass Torts Made Perfect as well as co-authored bar journal articles on topics ranging from global and class settlement ethics to bellwether trial procedure. While completing law school, Laura served as a judicial extern to U.S. District Judge Carl J. Barbier in the Eastern District of Louisiana. Later she clerked for U.S. District Judge Tucker L. Melancon in the Western District of Louisiana assisting with his docket of trial ready cases while he was a visiting judge in the Eastern District of New York and District of Connecticut.Awards, Accolades & RecognitionsBest Lawyers2022-2026 Mass tort litigation/class actions - plaintiffsLaw3602022 Rising Stars list - Class ActionNewsMarch 25, 2026New Mexico AG Prevails in Lawsuit Against Meta Platforms Inc.by: Motley RiceFebruary 2, 2026Can I Sue Instagram?by: Motley RiceBlog PostsJuly 6, 2023Social media’s grip on teen mental healthby: Laura K. StemkowskiJanuary 8, 2021Clicking with caution: Cybersecurity data breach risks are higher than ever Causes, Not Just Casesby: Jodi Westbrook FlowersAugust 12, 2020Denied business interruption insurance payouts due to COVID-19 losses, some business owners may find justice in civil courts Causes, Not Just Casesby: John A. Baden IV
