About
Gary Russo
Gary’s extensive trial experience includes, having organized, handled, and argued cases before judges and juries in state, federal district, and appellate courts in multiple jurisdictions. In recognition of his abilities, he has been appointed by federal judges as special master for multi-district litigation involving various mass torts including:
- Appointed special master for the, In re: Actos (Pioglitazone) Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2299, a nationwide pharmaceutical MDL and was appointed by the parties as special master to handle a $2.4 billion settlement involving more than 10,000 claims.
- Appointed by the parties to administer the Actos settlement including settlement negotiations, MSA, appeals of points and EI awards and settlement of common benefit issues between federal and state court litigants.
- Appointed settlement master in, In re: Xarelto Products Liability Litigation assisting in the development of settlement protocols and drafting of the master settlement agreement as well as handling appeals from claims administrator decisions.
- Handled allocation of settlement funds in various matters, including:
- In re: DePuy Orthopedics,
- In re: Roundup
- In re: Karl Storz Power Morcelator
- In re: Elmiron
- Appointed by the chief judge of the Western District of Louisiana as special master in flood claims for the 2016 flood.
- Appointed by the U. S Bankruptcy Judge co-mediator in the Talc litigation in In re: LTL Management LLC one and two.
- Served as liaison counsel and on committees in various multi-district litigation and class actions, including:
- In re: Apple iPhone 3G Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2045 –
- In re: Chinese- Manufactured Drywall Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2047 –
- In re: Oil Spill, by the Oil Rig “Deepwater Horizon,” MDL No. 2179 –
Gary is also a highly regarded arbitrator and has represented clients in US and international arbitrations, including a four-week trial before the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) International Court of Arbitration in Paris, France.
Prior to forming “Gary Russo, APLC”, Gary worked with Jones Walker for over 14 years, and was a named partner at Longman Russo, APLC, serving on the board of directors of both firms.
Education
Louisiana State University Paul M. Hebert Law Center JD
Louisiana State University BA
Bar Admissions:
Louisiana | Texas
Court Admissions
US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
US Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
US District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana
US District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana
US District Court for the Western District of Louisiana
Noteworthy
- Appointed special master in the, In re: Actos (Pioglitazone) Products Liability Litigation
- Appointed special settlement master by the parties, In re: Actos (Pioglitazone) Products Liability Litigation
- Assisted the parties in settlement of common benefit issues, In re: Actos (Pioglitazone) Products Liability Litigation
- Appointed special settlement master in the In re: Xarelto (Rivaroxaban) Products Liability Litigation
- Performed allocation of settlement funds in mass tort litigation including, In re: Karl Storz Power Morcellator, In re: Roundup, and, In re: DePuy Orthopaedics, lnc., Pinnacle Hip Implant Products Liability
- Appointed Co-Mediator In re: LTL Management LLC
- Roster of Neutrals for the American Arbitration Association
- Acadiana Profile, “Top Lawyer of Acadiana,” Commercial Litigation ); Environmental Law Insurance Law; Oil and Gas Law
- The Best Lawyers in America°, Oil and Gas Law (listed annually since 2016)
- Best’s Directory of Recommended Insurance Attorneys (listed since 2010)
- Obtained civil mediator training and certification from the National Mediation Academy, Inc. (2002)
- AV Preeminent° Peer Review Rating in Martindale- Hubbell
Experience Special Master
- Negotiated case management orders.
- Settled and/or ruled on discovery disputes.
- Established ESI and predictive coding protocols.
- Established a privileged resolution procedure.
- Handled state and federal coordination.
- Assisted in the resolution of common benefit issues between various jurisdictions.
- Performed allocation of settlement funds
- Settlement negotiations
- Settlement administration
- Lectures frequently at nationwide seminars involving mass torts
- Negotiation and drafting of MSA’s
- Ruling on points award appeals
- Ruling on EI award appeals
- Worked on lien resolution issues.
Katie Darden
Katie Darden has extensive experience as an assistant to the special master in mass tort litigation. She has assisted with various issues, including settlement administration, privilege disputes, electronically stored information protocols, and predictive coding protocols.
Katie has aided in the formation of master settlement agreements, in the ruling on discovery disputes, and in the allocation of settlement funds. She has worked in all aspects of settlement administration, including but not limited to claims evaluation and allocation, claims appeals, and lien resolution issues.
Katie assisted the special master in the In re: Actos (Pioglitazone) products liability litigation, MDL No. 2299, a nationwide pharmaceutical multidistrict litigation that resulted in a $2.4 billion settlement involving more than 10,000 claims. She has also worked on various matters in In re: DePuy Orthopaedics Pinnacle Hip Implant, In re: Xarelto (Rivaroxaban), In re: Roundup, In re: LTL Management, LLC, and In re: Elmiron (Pentosan Polysulfate Sodium) Products Liability Litigation.