This week Steve and Yvonne interview Jake Zimmerman of The Zimmerman Firm (http://zimmerman-firm.com/) and Genevieve Zimmerman of MeshBesher and Spence (https://www.meshbesher.com/).

Remember to rate and review GTP in iTunes: Click Here to Rate and Review

View/Download Trial Documents

Guest Bios:

Jake Zimmerman

Jake Zimmerman has litigated on behalf of plaintiffs whose total recoveries approach a billion dollars. Much of his practice focuses on intellectual property disputes, and on patent litigation and licensing in particular. He has also litigated high-stakes cases on behalf of personal injury plaintiffs and defendants. He was selected as a 2019 Attorney of the Year in Minnesota for his groundbreaking work on behalf of a parent whose son was killed at Sandy Hook. He was again selected as an Attorney of the Year in Minnesota in 2021 for his role in appeals from the Bair Hugger MDL litigation against 3M. 

Jake graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Minnesota School of Law. He lives in Saint Paul, Minnesota with his wife, Genevieve, and two wonderful children.

Read Full Bio

Genevieve Zimmerman

Genevieve presently serves as court-appointed Co-Lead Counsel for plaintiffs in MDL 2666: In re Bair Hugger Products Liability Litigation. Genevieve was trial counsel in the only bellwether trial. The Bair Hugger MDL includes claims brought by patients who allege the Bair Hugger patient warming system caused deep joint infections following total hip and total knee replacement surgeries.

Genevieve is also Co-Lead Counsel for Plaintiffs in MDL 2775: In re Smith & Nephew Birmingham Hip Resurfacing Products Liability pending in the District of Maryland. The MDL includes claims brought on behalf of patients who required revision surgery as a result of defective BHR products. Plaintiffs have successfully defeated a motion to dismiss based on preemption and tried the first MDL bellwether case in July 2021. After a three-week trial, the jury agreed Smith & Nephew was negligent for its false or misleading communications to orthopedic surgeons.

Since 2013, Genevieve has served as a court-appointed member of the Plaintiffs’ Lead Counsel Committee for MDL 2441: In re Stryker Rejuvenate and ABGII Hip Implant Products Liability Litigation, and is also one of four attorneys appointed to the Settlement Committee for the Stryker MDL, which helped to negotiate a settlement in excess of $1.43 billion.

Additionally, in May of 2019, Genevieve was appointed to the Plaintiff’s Executive Committee of the 3M Combat earplug litigation MDL.

She is one of 14 lawyers appointed by Judge Englehardt to MDL 2740, In re Taxotere, which includes claims brought by women who have suffered permanent baldness as a result of the use of Taxotere.

She was court appointed to the PSC for the Biomet MDL in the Northern District of Louisiana, and helps patients suffering from hips made by Smith & Nephew, DePuy, Wright/MicroPort, and Zimmer.

Genevieve’s past work includes helping heart defibrillator patients after a Guidant recall in 2006. She represented patients who suffered serious injuries and death following the use of the recalled prescription drug Vioxx. She has assisted hundreds of clients in obtaining settlements for defective products including Yaz, transvaginal mesh, hernia mesh, Actos, to name a few.

During 2007-2009, Genevieve spent nearly 75% of her time providing pro bono legal services to the survivors and families who lost loved ones as a result of the I-35W Bridge Collapse. The consortium was successful in obtaining recoveries exceeding $75 million.

Genevieve serves the community through ongoing pro bono work where she has represented victims of domestic violence seeking to obtain court orders for protection, immigrants seeking to update immigration documents, and high school students seeking protection of their first amendment rights to equal access to school facilities.

Genevieve is currently the immediate Past President of the Minnesota Association for Justice, having served on the Board of Governors since 2009, and was proud to receive the “Member of the Year” award in 2012, and the “Star” award in 2021. She is a past member of the Board of Governors for the American Association for Justice. Genevieve has been rated by SuperLawyers as a Super Lawyer since 2014.

On a personal note, Genevieve volunteers and raises money for scholarship funds for her alma mater, St. Paul Central High School. In whatever free time she has left, she enjoys travel, skiing, recreational marathons, teaching her kids how to swing a hammer, shovel class five, and cheering for her Minnesota sports teams.

Read Full Bio

Show Sponsors:

Legal Technology Services - LegalTechService.com

Digital Law Marketing - DigitalLawMarketing.com

Harris Lowry Manton LLP - hlmlawfirm.com

Free Resources:

Stages Of A Jury Trial - Part 1

Stages Of A Jury Trial - Part 2