CHICAGO & LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Consumer class action lawsuits against manufacturers and retailers of food, beverage, dietary supplement, and cosmetic products are growing aggressively across the country and in particular in California. Now, the leading boutique law firm to those industries is growing aggressively in response. Amin Talati Wasserman has opened a Los Angeles office and added two leading defenders of consumer class actions: William Cole and Matthew Orr.
Class actions against food and beverage companies are up nearly 400% since 2010, and by any measure California has become the epicenter of such claims. More than half of all filings involving dietary supplements in 2020 were made in California. Meanwhile, pre-litigation notices to food and drug companies under California’s Proposition 65, directed at potentially harmful chemicals in consumer products, increased by more than 1,000 to 1,546 in 2020.
“These are milestone events for our firm,” said Ivan Wasserman, managing partner of Amin Talati Wasserman. “Creating a California presence and adding litigators of William and Matthew’s stature allows us to serve the litigation needs of our clients as effectively as we do in the regulatory and intellectual property areas.”
“Amin Talati Wasserman sets the gold standard for legal advice in the industries it serves,” said Cole. “We are honored to be joining this team and look forward to enhancing its litigation services from California.”
Cole and Orr each bring long records of litigation wins for food, beverage, supplement, and cosmetic clients in class action, Federal Trade Commission, and state attorney general matters, including dozens of dismissals and summary judgment victories. Cole previously served as the first assistant U.S. attorney, chief of the National Security and Cybercrimes Section and chief of the Criminal Division in the federal Southern District of California, where he received one of the Department of Justice’s highest honors for his investigatory work on al-Qaeda. He recently tried a false advertising class action against a supplement maker in which the plaintiff received nothing. Orr’s successes include a landmark federal appellate win earlier this year for Target, establishing that federal law preempted California law claims alleging that the structure/function claims of a popular vitamin supplement lacked adequate substantiation.
“The lawyers of Amin Talati Wasserman have a tremendous depth of scientific knowledge,” added Orr. Nearly half of the firm’s 27 lawyers have advanced scientific backgrounds or relevant food industry experience. “We look forward to drawing on it in service of our clients.”
At Amin Talati Wasserman, Cole and Orr join a team of litigators that includes another recent arrival, George Spatz, who was named the 2018 MillerCoors Outside Counsel of the Year. Like Spatz, Cole and Orr frequently handle supply chain, intellectual property, and commercial litigation in addition to their class action work. They also maintain active white collar practices.
About Amin Talati Wasserman
Amin Talati Wasserman is focused on the industries of food and beverages, nutritional supplements, cosmetics, medical devices, and pharmaceuticals. We provide regulatory, patent, trademark, litigation, and other legal services for the lifecycle of products aimed at improving the population’s health and wellness, from offices in Chicago; Washington, DC; and Los Angeles.
