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Karen Menzies Esq. | |
|---|---|
| Born | Karen Barth Menzies |
| Education | B.A., Colorado State University J.D., UC Davis School of Law |
| Alma mater | UC Davis School of Law |
| Occupation(s) | Partner at Robinson Calcagnie Robinson Shapiro Davis, Inc.[1] |
| Website | RCRSD Profile Page |
Karen Menzies is an American-lawyer and advocate.[2] She is the only female partner in the law firm Robinson Calcagnie Robinson Shapiro Davis, Inc., overseeing the firm’s SSRI-antidepressant birth defect and other pharmaceutical cases.[3] She has litigated many published and notable cases including being lead counsel for the Plaintiff’s Steering Committee in the Paxil Product Liability Litigation in 2003.[2] She has also litigated cases against Merck & Co., Hoffmann-LaRouche, GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer, Forest Laboratories, Bayer Healthcare, Baxter and Eli Lilly.
Karen is widely published on the topic of drug safety and has given lectures and seminars before the American Bar Association, California Bar Association and other organizations. She is considered an expert on the topic of pharmaceutical litigation and has testified on the topic of drug safety in front of FDA advisory boards[2] and the California State Legislature. She has also won numerous awards throughout her career in the legal profession.[4]
Education and career
[edit]Karen was born December 8, 1966. She attended Colorado State University where she received her B.A. in 1989 with a double major in Political Science and Sociology, and minors in Criminal Justice and Psychology. She went on to attend law school at the University of California at Davis where she earned her Juris Doctor in 1995, the same year she was admitted to the California Bar. While in law school, she served as an intern for Justice Rodney Davis at the California 3rd District Court of Appeals, the Colorado Attorney General’s Office, the California Attorney General’s Office, and the Sacramento District Attorney’s Office.[3]
Karen career began in juvenile justice. It was there that she realized that she wanted to protect the "little guy." She became increasingly concerned that large corporations were targeting populations, particularly children and women, without warning them of the potential downside of particular medications. After reviewing internal company documents during litigation, she became convinced that companies were putting profits over safety.[1]
Karen joined Robinson Calcagnie Robinson Shapiro Davis, Inc. in 2007. She is a partner at the firm where she focuses primarily on mass tort cases. She oversees the firms SSRI-antidepressant birth defect and PPHN litigation, Avandia litigation, Fosamax and other pharmaceutical cases.[3] She is on the Board of Governors for the American Association for Justice and also was nominated and is on the board for Public Justice.[5]
Notable cases
[edit]Karen was one of the attorneys for Christopher Pittman who was convicted in 2005 of murdering his grandparents. Pittman was 12 years old at the time. The case drew national attention due to his age and his defense. Pittman claimed that the prescription drug Zoloft caused him to commit the crime.[6] The case made national headlines and was featured on 48 Hours.[7] Pittman had been prescribed Zoloft three weeks prior to the murders and his dose was doubled two days before the murders. The murders were also discussed during a hearing before the Food & Drug Administration on the effects of anti-depressant drugs.[6]
Karen was appointed as the lead attorney for the Plaintiff’s Steering Committee in the Paxil Product Liability Litigation in 2003.[8] The case involved a mass tort and class action lawsuit against SmithKline Beecham d.b.a. GlaxoSmithkline (GSK) and included charges of fraud, negligence, strict liability, consumer fraud and express and implied warranty claims. Plaintiff's in the case had all experienced similar withdrawal reactions to Paxil including nausea, anxiety, dizziness, sensory disturbances, headache, vision distortion, sweating, confusion, and other symptoms. On December 19, 2003, a judicial panel ordered all federal cases to be sent to the Central District of California in Los Angeles. The ruling affected all Paxil withdrawal cases pending in federal courts, approximately 1,500 in total in over 30 states. After several years of litigation, and within 30 days of the first trials, the cases were resolved. Karen worked with the defense and the mediator to successfully resolve all of the more than 3,000 cases.
Expert testimony
[edit]Karen has given testimony on behalf of SSRI suicide victims both inside the courtroom and before government bodies. She has testified before the California State Assembly and the Food and Drug Administration. She has also met with members of Congress from both the House of Representatives and the Senate to discuss the suicidal risks of SSRI.[8]
In February 2004, she gave testimony before the Food and Drug Administration's Psychopharmacologic Drugs Advisory Committee. During her testimony, she was quoted as saying "put me out of business for the right reasons - warn the public about these drugs." She stated that she never meant to spend so much time on SSRI cases and thought that drug companies would become more forthcoming about warning the public and their risks.[2]
Karen has also litigated claims against the drug Fosamax. During a meeting with the Food and Drug Administration, Karen accompanied 18 women affected by the drug. Six months later the FDA issued an advisory on the drug.[1]
Publications
[edit]Karen is the author of numerous publications and is a frequent speaker before healthcare professionals and patients at medical seminars. She has spoken before organizations in both the U.S. and internationally.[3]
Awards and honors
[edit]Karen has received numerous awards throughout her career. The first came in 2004 when she was honored as Lawyer of the Year by Lawyers Weekly.[2] This was also the first year she was honored as a California Super Lawyer, achieving the rank from 2004 through 2010.[9] Her honors continued in 2005 when California Lawyer Magazine announced her as the California Lawyer of the Year[4] and the National Law Journals recognized her as a Top 40 Under 40.[2] In 2006, she was a finalist for the Consumer Attorneys of California Consumer Attorney of the Year Award.[10]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Gibbons, Marley (22 March 2012). "Female Lawyers for Female Cases". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 12 December 2012.
{{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ a b c d e f Mundy, Jane (11 February 2009). "An Interview With Paxil Lawyer Karen Barth Menzies". Lawyers and Settlements. Retrieved 12 December 2012.
- ^ a b c d "Karen Barth Menzies Profile". Orange County Law. Retrieved 12 December 2012.
- ^ a b "First PPHN Paxil Birth Defect Lawsuit Filed". Lawyers and Settlements. Retrieved 20 December 2012.
{{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ "AAJ Board of Governors". American Association for Justice. Retrieved 20 December 2012.
- ^ a b Collins, Jeffrey (5 December 2004). "Grandson Says Anti-Depressant Made Him Kill". Chicago Sun Times. Retrieved 12 December 2012.
{{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ Leung, Rebecca (11 February 2009). "Prescription For Murder". 48 Hours. Retrieved 12 December 2012.
- ^ a b Pringle, Evelyn. "Paxil Five-Year Litigation History". Home Highlight. Retrieved 12 December 2012.
{{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ "Karen Menzies Profile". Super Lawyers. Retrieved 12 December 2012.
- ^ "Consumer Attorney of the Year Award Finanlists". Consumer Attorneys of California. Retrieved 20 December 2012.