Join Ben and Rahul for their discussion with Jake and Tor, breaking down the recent 495 million Dollar verdict in a product liability case against Abbott Laboratories for pre-term infant formula that increases the risks for developing necrotizing enterocolitis. Hear how Jake and Tor navigated this difficult case and won this epic battle.
About Jacob Plattenberger
https://www.torhoermanlaw.com/team/jake-plattenberger/
Jacob Plattenberger has taken hundreds of depositions, argued in countless hearings, and tried over 35 cases to a jury.
His experience in and out of the courtroom has made him a passionate advocate for those injured due to the negligence of others.
Jake started his career trying cases at one of the busiest civil courthouses in the country – the Richard J. Daley Center in downtown Chicago.
He started out doing insurance defense because he knew that afforded him the best opportunity to get courtroom experience.
“When I was working on the defense side, I always knew that I was going to be a plaintiff’s lawyer. I knew that being able and willing to try a case to a jury was a skill that I needed to have if I was going to be able to offer my clients the best legal representation. Insurance companies and corporate defendants need to believe you when you say you will take them to trial – they need to fear that.”
This type of real trial experience is exceedingly rare in complex civil litigation and having seen it from the defense side gives Jake an added advantage.
At TorHoerman Law, Jake manages our Chicago office where he leads trial teams in nationwide, complex litigations such as:
Representing dozens of workers across the United States who were exposed to Diacetyl at work and now suffer lung disease
eg. The Juul/E-cigarette Litigation
The Incretin Mimetics Products Liability Litigation, currently pending in the Southern District of California, where he was named to the Plaintiff’s Steering Committee
Various Transvaginal Mesh multidistrict litigations that are currently pending
Jake also maintains a personal injury practice in Chicago, representing people and their families who have been victims of catastrophic auto and truck accidents, products liability, maritime accidents, premises liability, and medical negligence.
Jake believes that to successfully represent his clients, it is absolutely necessary to get personally involved.
Jake’s quote below perfectly reflects that belief!
Notable Cases & Results
Incretin Mimetics – Products Liability Litigation, MDL Case No. 13MD2452 AJB (MDD). Appointed to the Plaintiff’s Steering Committee by Judge Battaglia in the MDL. The case is pending.
JUUL E-Cigarettes – Products Liability Litigation, JCCP No. 5052. Appointed to the Plaintiff’s Steering Committee by Judge Anne Jones in the JCCP. The case is pending.
Diacetyl – Leads the Diacetyl litigation for TorHoerman Law. Previous settlements and verdicts have exceeded $5,000,000.00 to date. Litigation is currently ongoing.
Actos Related Cases, MDL Case No. 11 L 10011, Et. Al. – Actively participated in managing the case for TorHoerman Law which resulted in a $2.4 billion settlement.
Gadolinium-based Contrast Agents Litigation Case No. 279 and Products Liability Litigation MDL No. 1909 – Managed the cases for TorHoerman Law which resulted in a large, confidential settlement.
Bus Accident – Handled a bus accident injury case in which an individual was thrown from a seat. Resulted in a $850,000.00 settlement.
Auto Accident – Handled an auto accident injury case that resulted in a $650,000.00 settlement.
Slip and Fall – Handled a slip and fall accident that occurred on a sightseeing boat in Chicago. Resulted in a $490,000.00 settlement.
Personal Life
Jake was born and raised in Chicago.
He now lives in the Chicago suburbs, where his two young sons keep him busy.
When he isn’t working, Jake is a lifelong Bears and Cubs fan and loves participating in the (mostly) healthy rivalry between the Cubs and Cardinals fans at TorHoerman Law.
About Tor Hoerman
https://www.torhoermanlaw.com/team/tor-hoerman/
Tor Hoerman is a nationally recognized attorney who has served in the field for more than 25 years.
He is most well-known as the founder of the personal injury law firm TorHoerman Law, LLC (THL).
Early Life & Education
Tor was born the youngest of four boys on July 16, 1969, in Bethesda, Maryland to Kirk and Greta Hoerman.
With his father serving as a Captain in the Navy, Tor often moved towns during his childhood, eventually landing in the Chicago metropolitan area.
In Chicago, Tor lived in the Great Lakes Naval Base and Lake Bluff before his family settled in Lake Forest, which is where he attended high school.
Despite repeatedly switching homes, Tor made the most of his situation.
In high school, he played football, basketball, and baseball, and he earned varsity letters in each of these sports.
In addition to varsity recognition, he was recognized as an All-county athlete and awarded the Booster Club Athlete of the Year his senior year.
Outside of sports, Tor coached little league baseball, served as a summer camp counselor, and worked as a summertime janitor at his former high school after graduating.
Tor attended Depauw University and majored in Political Science.
He played NCAA baseball and football at Depauw, and he was the captain of the baseball team.
After graduating from Depauw in 1991, Tor enrolled in the Chicago-Kent College of Law.
During law school, Tor bartended at a local bar and clerked for Kravolec, Jambois & Schwartz, LLC.
Legal Career
After graduating from law school in 1995, Tor took on a job doing insurance defense at Bolero, Cart & Stone, LLC, where he worked reluctantly for a year and a half.
One day at work, Tor received a phone call from Steve Jambois, his former employer throughout law school, asking if he wanted a job on the plaintiff’s side of insurance law.
Tor immediately accepted the job, kickstarting decades to come of fighting corporations on behalf of harmed individuals.
Tor’s Transition to Medical Malpractice Litigation
Tor returned to Kravolec, Jambois & Schwartz to fight on behalf of medical malpractice victims, which mostly consisted of high-intensity trial work in the Chicago courthouse.
After seven years at the Jambois firm, Hoeman was recruited by the Simmons law firm, based in an Illinois suburb of St. Louis, to start and lead a branch of the practice that focused on pharmaceutical litigation.
Leading the Pharmaceutical Practice at Simmons Law Firm
Tor became a partner of what is now Simmons, Hanly, and Conroy and led the pharmaceutical practice for seven years.
One of Tor most notable achievements while leading the practice was his work against Purdue Pharma and its reckless distribution of OxyContin.
Tor was the first to file a case alleging Purdue Pharma’s wrongdoing in distributing OxyContin and failing to adequately warn healthcare providers and the public of the risks of addiction.
Achieving Justice Against Purdue Pharma
He led the litigation process and got Purdue Pharma to agree to a large settlement, which was distributed to thousands of accidental addicts.
Tor took a step further to achieve justice in this case, assisting the Department of Justice in obtaining guilty pleas by Purdue Pharma representatives who had a direct role in contributing to the opioid epidemic.
Founding TorHoerman Law
Having garnered success leading the pharmaceutical branch at the Simmons firm, Tor amicably decided to split from Simmons in 2009 and start his own pharmaceutical and personal injury practice called TorHoerman Law, LLC (THL).
After negotiating the terms of the split, Tor struck a deal that allowed him to bring his entire staff from Simmons to his new practice, which summed up to more than 25 lawyers and staff members.
Expansion and Success of THL
Tor opened offices in Edwardsville, IL; Clayton, MO; and Chicago, IL to kickstart operations; all three offices remain open today.
In the time since opening THL, Tor and his team have litigated many pharmaceutical malpractice and personal injury cases.
Notable Successes at THL
Tor’s most notable successes while operating THL are perhaps co-leading the litigations against Boehringer Ingelheim’s Pradaxa and Takeda’s Actos.
Through intense research and vetting, Tor was able to find substantial evidence indicating Actos causes bladder cancer and Pradaxa causes internal bleeding.
He then presented the evidence to the companies, which decided to settle the cases.
Tor played a significant role in negotiating these settlements, which ended up being $650 million for Pradaxa and $2.4 billion for Actos.
Tor has also had major success in several other product liability lawsuits, such as Zelnorm, Gadolinium-based Contrast Agents, and Incretin Mimetics.
We’ve outlined these cases, a few other notable cases, and their correlating results in the section below.
Recognition & Awards
His successes with these cases and beyond earned him the distinction as a Top 25 Notable Alumni from the Chicago-Kent School of Law, which was awarded to him and 24 other lawyers out of the tens of thousands who have graduated from the school since its founding in 1888.
Tor is also recognized as a Top 100 National Trial Lawyer by the National Trial Lawyers Organization.
Notable Cases & Results
Pradaxa (Dabigatran Etexilate) – Products Liability Litigation, MDL 2385 – Appointed by Judge Herndon as national lead counsel in the MDL. After protracted litigation successfully negotiated a $650 million settlement.
Actos Related Cases, MDL Case No. 11 L 10011, Et. Al. – Appointed by Judge Dooling as lead counsel in Cook County consolidated docket (over 4400 cases). After protracted litigation, he was one of four lead negotiators (along with Pete Flowers, Mark Lanier, and Andy Birchfield) on a $2.4 billion settlement.
Incretin Mimetics Products Liability Litigation, MDL Case No. 13MD2452 AJB (MDD) – Appointed as lead counsel by Judge Battaglia in the MDL. The case is pending.
OxyContin – Represented thousands of “accidental addicts”. After protracted litigation, he negotiated a large settlement and assisted the DOJ in obtaining guilty pleas by corporate representatives.
Zelnorm Litigation., Case No. 280 – Appointed lead counsel in NJ state court consolidation, took the major depositions and negotiated a confidential settlement.
Gadolinium-based Contrast Agents Litigation Case No. 279 and Products Liability Litigation MDL No. 1909 – Appointed by Judge Polster as both the state and federal liaison and lead counsel in the Cook County consolidated docket. He negotiated large, confidential, individual settlements.
Involvement in the Legal Community
In addition to his litigation work, Tor is on the Board of Managers of the Illinois Trial Lawyer Association and an Executive Board Member of the Mass Torts Trial Lawyer Association.
He also attends national legal conferences on a yearly basis.
Personal Life
Personally, Tor is the proud father of Casey, Kirsten and Quinn, and husband of Jessica.
He tries to stay active, including still playing baseball.
