Leslie Mitchell Kroeger

In re Chiquita Brands International Inc. Litigation

In re Chiquita Brands International Inc. Litigation (S.D. Fla.): Cohen Milstein represents hundreds of Colombian citizens who allege that they or their family members were victims of torture or extrajudicial killing committed by the Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia (AUC), a paramilitary group designated by the United States government as a “Foreign Terrorist Organization,” during armed conflict in Colombia in the 1990s and early 2000s. Plaintiffs allege that the deaths of their relatives were a direct and foreseeable result of Chiquita’s financial support of the AUC. The case is proceeding under Colombian law against Chiquita and under the U.S. Torture Victim Protection Act against individual Chiquita executives and board members. On June 10, 2024, after a six-week bellwether jury trial, the jury found Chiquita responsible for the wrongful deaths of eight men who were murdered by AUC and awarded the surviving family members $38.3 million in damages for their deaths.

Flint Water Crisis Litigation

Flint Water Crisis Class Action Litigation (E.D. Mich.): Since 2021, Cohen Milstein has helped more than 90,000 Flint residents and businesses achieve $659.25 million in settlements from those responsible for the Flint Water Crisis. This includes a landmark $626.25 million settlement against the State of Michigan, the former Governor Rick Snyder, and other defendants for their roles in re-directing toxic levels of lead-contaminated water from the Flint River into the City of Flint’s drinking water system to save money. Litigation against the EPA continues.

Edenville and Sanford Dam Failure Litigation

Edenville and Sanford Dam Failure Litigation (Mich. Crt. of Claims; Cir. Crt., Cty. Saginaw, Mich.): Cohen Milstein represents residents and businesses in two separate property damage lawsuits against Michigan State Government agencies, including the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes & Energy and Michigan Department of Natural Resources for blatantly mismanaging and failing to properly maintain the Edenville and Sandford dams, which catastrophically failed on May 19, 2020.

Cape Fear River PFAS Litigation: Nix, et al. v. The Chemours Company FC, LLC et al.

Cape Fear River Contaminated Water Litigation (E.D.N.C.): Cohen Milstein is representing North Carolina residents and homeowners along the Cape Fear River in this certified toxic tort class action against DuPont and Chemours for allegedly dumping toxic GenX chemicals, a form of PFAS aka “forever chemicals,” into the Cape Fear River, impacting the drinking water and homes of more than 770,000 residents throughout the region.

Edwards, et al. v. CSX Transportation, et al.

Edwards, et al. v. CSX Transportation, et al. (E.D.N.C.): Cohen Milstein was appointed Interim Co-Lead Counsel in this putative class action against CSX Corporation. We represent a class of businesses and residents in the southern and western portions of Lumberton, NC who have twice suffered catastrophic flooding and damage in connection with a train underpass floodgate.

Miramar Water Litigation

Miramar Water Litigation (Cir. Crt. Broward Cnty.): Cohen Milstein represents residents of the City of Miramar, Florida in a property damage class action suit against the City of Miramar and its consultant, Kimley-Horn, Inc. The plaintiffs claim that, due to the negligence of the City and the malpractice of its consultant, their water supply has not been properly treated and has caused irreversible and costly damage to the copper piping in their homes.

U.S.A. v. Janssen Biotech, Inc.

U.S.A. v. Janssen Biotech, Inc. (D. Mass.): Cohen Milstein represents the plaintiff-relator in a whistleblower/qui tam lawsuit against Janssen Biotech (a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson), alleging that the manufacturer of the rheumatoid arthritis drugs Remicade and Simponi ARIA violated federal law by engaging in a scheme through which it provided physicians free practice management and infusion business consulting services over an extended period to induce the physicians to purchase Remicade and Simponi ARIA and administer these drugs to patients, including Medicare beneficiaries, via infusions performed in their offices.

Ratha, et al v. Phatthana Seafood Co

Ratha, et al v. Phatthana Seafood Co. (C.D. Cal.): Cohen Milstein is representing seven Cambodian plaintiffs in a cross-border human rights lawsuit involving human trafficking, forced labor, involuntary servitude, and peonage by factories in Thailand that produce shrimp and seafood for export to the United States.

Edwards v. Tesla, Inc.

Edwards v. Tesla (Sup. Crt. Cal., Alameda Cnty.): Cohen Milstein represented the Edwards family in a first-of-its-kind crashworthiness product liability lawsuit against Tesla. Plaintiffs alleged that Ms. Edwards sustained catastrophic injuries because the airbags failed to deploy in her Tesla Model 3 during an accident. On January 24, 2024, a confidential settlement was reached.

Herrera et al v. JFK Medical Center Limited Partnership and HCA, Inc.

Herrera v. JFK Medical Center and HCA, Inc. (M.D. Fla.): Cohen Milstein was lead counsel in a class action lawsuit alleging that four Florida plaintiffs and others like them were billed inflated and exorbitant fees for emergency radiology services, in excess of the amount allowed by law, covered in part by their mandatory Florida Personal Injury Protection insurance. When the district court struck plaintiffs’ class claims, Ms. Martin successfully petitioned the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals to accept immediate appellate review and obtained a reversal of the district court’s order. Cohen Milstein resolved the case and secured final approval of a $220 million injunctive relief settlement.

Lindsay X-LITE Guardrail End Terminal Litigation

Lindsay X-LITE Guardrail End Terminal Litigation: Cohen Milstein represented a number of families of decedents and victims of catastrophic injuries in a series of individual products liability, wrongful death and catastrophic injury lawsuits in Tennessee and South Carolina state courts against the Lindsay Corporation and several related entities for designing, manufacturing, selling, and installing defective, X-Lite guardrails on state roadways.

Mincey v. Takata

Mincey v. Takata (Cir. Crt., Duval Cnty., Fla.): Cohen Milstein was lead counsel in one of the first lawsuits brought against Takata for a defectively designed airbag which deployed so aggressively during a collision that it rendered our client a quadriplegic. The suit charged that Takata, the manufacturer of the airbag system, not only knew of the airbag defect but hid the defect from millions of consumers. After years of intensive discovery and in-depth work with renowned experts, on the eve of trial Cohen Milstein successfully reached a confidential settlement on behalf of our client. Further, our discovery efforts furthered the U.S. Department of Justice investigation into Takata Corporation and subsequent recall efforts of Takata airbags – one of the largest recalls in U.S. history.

Paz-Orjales v. Ford Motor Company

Paz-Orjales v. Ford Motor Company (Cir. Crt. Osceola Cnty., Fla.): Cohen Milstein successfully settled a catastrophic injury lawsuit against Ford Motor Company. Our client, Mr. Paz-Orjales, asserted that due to a defective design, the roof of the Ford truck, in which he was a passenger, collapsed and crushed him during a roll over accident, resulting in his quadriplegia.

Quinteros, et al. v. DynCorp, et al.

Quinteros, et al. v. DynCorp, et al. (D.D.C.): Cohen Milstein represented over 2,000 Ecuadorian farmers and their families who suffered physical injuries and property damage as a result of aerial spraying of toxic herbicides on or near their land by DynCorp, a U.S. government contractor. A bellwether trial on behalf of the first six Ecuadorian clients came to a conclusion in April 2017, when the ten-person jury unanimously determined that DynCorp was responsible for the conduct of the pilots with whom it had subcontracted to conduct the chemical spraying after April 2003. This resolution allowed for a successful case settlement.

Saori Yamauchi, et al. v. Toyota Motor Corporation, et al.

Saori Yamauchi, et al. v. Toyota Motor Corporation, et al. (Cir. Crt., Dutchess Cty., N.Y.): Cohen Milstein and local New York co-counsel resolved a product liability and personal injury lawsuit against Toyota Motor Corporation, Autoliv, and related entities on behalf of Saori Yamauchi. Mrs. Yamauchi sustained a catastrophic injury during an accident in her Toyota Sienna as a result of the vehicle’s airbag system deploying in a dangerous manner.

Walmart Litigation

Walmart Litigation: Originally filed as Dukes v. Walmart (N.D. Cal.), a high-profile gender discrimination class action, involving more than 1.6 million women, which went up to the Supreme Court in 2011 and defined class action law, continued after class certification was denied. Litigation against Walmart Stores has been ongoing since June 2001, in an effort dedicated to ensuring that women who have worked for Walmart over the years received equal pay and an equal chance at promotion. All outstanding litigation concluded in 2024.

ExxonMobil -Villagers of Aceh Litigation

John Doe I v. ExxonMobil Corporation (D.D.C.): Cohen Milstein represented eleven villagers from Aceh, Indonesia, who alleged that they or their relatives endured horrific human rights abuses, including murder, torture, sexual violence, and kidnapping, at the hands of Indonesian soldiers contracted by ExxonMobil to guard its oil operations in the region. On May 15, 2023, a week before a jury trial was to start and after 22 years of litigation, the case settled. Although the case was litigated in U.S. federal court, Indonesian law applied to Plaintiffs’ claims and was applied by the court. The case set numerous legal precedents during its 20-year history, during which it saw two trips to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals (decided January 2007 and July 2011) and one to the Supreme Court (certiorari was denied in 2008). Each time, novel issues of foreign policy impact, extraterritorial jurisdiction, and choice of law were briefed and considered by the Court of Appeals. In August 2022, months before trial, the district court largely denied ExxonMobil’s motion for summary judgment, finding most of its arguments “entirely meritless.” Cohen Milstein and co-counsel were awarded the 2024 Public Justice Trial Lawyer of the Year Award for the successful resolution of this case.