Tara D. Sutton

612.349.8500

Partner

TSutton@RobinsKaplan.com
612.349.8500

Chair, National Mass Tort Group;
Member of Executive Board

TSutton@RobinsKaplan.com
612.349.8500

Experience

Trial practice focusing on representing individuals, governments and tribal nations harmed by defective products and fraudulent conduct, including:

Co-Lead Counsel for State of Minnesota in litigation against Juul and Altria for unlawfully targeting young people with their products, 27-CV-19-19888, Fourth Judicial District, State of Minnesota.
Tribal Leadership Committee In re: National Prescription Opiate Litigation, MDL No. 2804 (E.D. Ohio)
Member of Law and Briefing Committee In re: National Prescription Opiate Litigation, MDL No. 2804 (E.D. Ohio)
Court-appointed settlement counsel in Abilify Multi-District Litigation, MDL No. 2734 (N.D.Fl.)
Plaintiffs’ Executive Committee and Co-Chair of Plaintiffs’ Science and Expert Committee, Benicar Multi-District Litigation, MDL No. 2606 (D.N.J.)
Member, Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee, New Jersey Consolidated Stryker Rejuvenate Hip Stem and ABGII Modular Hip Stem Litigation.
Plaintiffs’ Executive Committee and Chair of Plaintiffs’ Science and Expert Committee, Chantix Multi-District Litigation, MDL No. 2092 (N.D.Ala.)
Lead Counsel and Liaison Counsel in Mirapex Multi-District Litigation, MDL No. 1836 (D.Minn.)
Member, Law and Motions Committee, DePuy ASR Multi-District Litigation.
Member, Science Committee and Discovery Committee, Vioxx Multi-District Litigation.

Member of plaintiffs’ negotiating committee in Benicar litigation that resulted in a settlement fund of $358 million.

Represented clients in the New Jersey Multi-County Stryker Rejuvenate and ABG II Modular Hip Stem litigation, including two Plaintiffs who resolved their cases through the NJ Court’s bellwether mediation program. Assisted in developing a global settlement program for both the multi-county litigation and the federal multi-district litigation, a program valued at over $1 billion.

Lead counsel in Daubert proceedings in Abilify, Chantix, and Mirapex product liability litigations, successfully defeating defendants’ challenges to plaintiffs’ scientific experts on causation

Lead trial counsel in Charbonneau v. Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Pfizer, Inc. Represented plaintiffs in first Mirapex products liability bellwether trial. On July 30, 2008, jury returned a verdict in favor of plaintiffs for $8,279,300, including $7.8 million in punitive damages for failing to warn of risk of compulsive behaviors, including pathological gambling, from the Parkinson’s drug Mirapex.

Lead trial counsel in Zwayer v. Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Pfizer, Inc. Represented plaintiffs in second Mirapex bellwether trial. Case was confidentially settled prior to closing argument.

Confidentially settled more than 280 Mirapex cases represented by Robins Kaplan LLP during Fall of 2008.

Lead trial counsel in first two Chantix MDL bellwether trials; confidentially settled prior to trial, leading to settlement of entire MDL.

Trial counsel, State of Minnesota and Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Minnesota v. Philip Morris, et al. In May 1998, the case settled after a four month trial when Tobacco Companies agreed to pay the State and Blue Cross & Blue Shield more than $6.6 billion.

Americas Top 100 High Stakes Litigators 2020

Listed in "500 Leading Lawyers in America," Lawdragon (2016-2022)
Listed in The Best Lawyers in America (2016-2022 editions)
Recognized by Best Lawyers as the Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Plaintiffs “Lawyer of the Year” in Minneapolis (2016, 2018, 2020 editions)
Named to the "Top 100 Minnesota Super Lawyers," Super Lawyers (2018-2020)
Named to the "Top 50 Women Super Lawyers," Minnesota Super Lawyer (2010, 2017-2020)
Named a "Minnesota Super Lawyer,” Super Lawyers (2009-2021)
Named as one of the “Elite Women of the Plaintiff’s Bar,” National Law Journal (2018)
Presidents Award, Public Justice Foundation (2018)
Named a "North Star Lawyer" by the Minnesota State Bar Association for providing at least 50 hours of pro bono legal services (2013-2017)
Named "MVP" for Product Liability, Law360 (2015, 2017)
Named a "Litigation Trailblazer," The National Law Journal (2017)
Named "Outstanding Women Lawyer," The National Law Journal (2015)
Recipient of the "Women in Business Award," Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal (2015)
Named "Woman Worth Watching," Profiles in Diversity Journal (September/October 2014)
Named "Female Powerbroker," Law360 (March 5, 2014)
Named "Plaintiff Top 150 Women in Litigation," Benchmark Litigation (2013)
Named a "Litigation Star," Benchmark Litigation (2013 edition)
Named to the "Top 100 Women Minnesota Super Lawyers," Minnesota Law & Politics (2009)
"Member of the Year" award from the Minnesota Trial Lawyers Association in recognition of work performed during the tobacco litigation.
"Newsmakers '98" award from the Minnesota Women’s Press in recognition of extraordinary action taken in the public arena during 1998 that promotes equality, justice and respect for women.
Named "40 Under 40" by City Business (2000)

Public Justice Foundation, a public interest law firm, which pursues high impact lawsuits to combat social and economic injustice, protect the Earth’s sustainability, and challenges predatory corporate conduct and government abuses; Board of Directors (2010-present), Executive Committee (2012-present), Secretary (2013-2014), Treasurer (2014-2015), Vice President (2015-2016), President-Elect (2016-2017), President (2017-2018), Past President (2018)
Children's Theatre Company; Board of Governors (2011-2018)

Bar Admissions

Minnesota
U.S. District Court, District of Colorado
U.S. District Court, Minnesota
U.S. District Court, Western District of Missouri
U.S. Court of Appeals, Eighth Circuit
U.S. Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit

Education

University of Iowa College of Law, J.D., with honors (1992)
University of Iowa, B.S., with high honors

Professional Associations

American Association for Justice (formerly the Association of Trial Lawyers of America)
American Bar Association
American Bar Foundation, Fellow
Federal Bar Association, Minnesota Chapter; Co-Chair, Mass Tort, Multi-District Litigation, and Class Action Practice Group
Firm’s Professional Development Committee, Co-Chair (2004-2005)
Hennepin County Bar Association
Minnesota Association for Justice (formerly Minnesota Trial Lawyers Association), Board of Governors
Minnesota State Bar Association
Minnesota Women Lawyers
Public Citizen
Journal of Corporation Law, University of Iowa, Editorial Board (2018)
The Sedona Conference Working Group on Protective Orders, Confidentiality & Public Access (Spring 2004)

"MVP: Robins Kaplan's Tara Sutton," Law360 (December 21, 2017)
"The Rustlers Whooped the Rangers," Advocate Capital, Inc. (May 8, 2014)

Benicar Settlement Update
Mass Torts Made Perfect, Las Vegas, Nevada (October 20, 2017)
Benicar Litigation Sprue Like Enteropathy
Mass Torts Made Perfect, Las Vegas, Nevada (October 21, 2016)
Benicar Litigation Sprue Like Enteropathy
Mass Torts Made Perfect, Las Vegas, Nevada (October 21, 2016)
Consumer Watchdogs Drug and Device Litigation
Robins Kaplan Trial Advocacy Seminar, Minneapolis, Minnesota (October 13, 2016)
Benicar Litigation
Mass Torts Made Perfect, Las Vegas, Nevada (October 16, 2015)
Benicar Litigation
American Association for Justice, Montreal, Canada (July 14, 2015)
Stryker Rejuvenate and ABG II Litigation Update
AAJ Annual Convention, Montreal Canada (July 11, 2015)
Benicar Litigation
Panel, Minnesota Association for Justice, Minneapolis, Minnesota (May 15, 2015)
American Association for Justice Education
Plaintiff-Only Hot Topics and Trends in Litigation Seminar, Benicar Presentation, San Diego, California (March 25, 2015)
Benicar Litigation Group Meeting
AAJ Winter Convention, Palm Desert CA (February 24, 2015)
American Association for Justice Education’s Stryker Seminar
New York, New York (December 11, 2014)
American Association for Justice Education’s
Plaintiff-Only Hot Topics and Trends in Litigation Seminar, Benicar Presentation, Charleston, South Carolina (December 3, 2014)
Mass Tort Update
Minnesota Association for Justice Summer Convention, Alexandria, Minnesota (August 15, 2014)
Stryker Rejuvenate and ABGII Litigation Update
American Association for Justice Annual Convention, Baltimore, Maryland (July 26, 2014)
Stryker Rejuvenate and ABG II Hip Implant Litigation Group Meeting
American Association for Justice Winter Convention, New Orleans, Louisiana (February 10, 2014)
3 Topics How Can My Firm Participate in Mass Torts How to Get Started Hot Cases
Minnesota Mass Torts Conference, St. Paul, Minnesota (December 3, 2013)
DaubertFrye Motions in Product Liability Litigation
Webinar, Strafford (November 5, 2013)
Opening Statements
Ohio Association for Justice, Colorado Trial Lawyers Association, and Workers' Injury Law & Advocacy Group, Steamboat Springs, Colorado (March 11, 2013)
Hot Topics in Pharmaceutical Litigation
Panel, AAJ's Section on Toxic, Environmental, and Pharmaceutical Torts (STEP), Chicago, Illinois (July 30, 2012)
Conference Co-Chair
HB Litigation Conference: Food, Drug and Medical Device Litigation Forum, Minneapolis, Minnesota (April 23, 2012)
The Demise of Multidistrict Litigation: Myth or Reality?
2012 American Association for Justice Winter Convention, Phoenix, Arizona (February 15, 2012)
Taking the Gamble out of Mass Tort Litigation: Jury Focus Groups and the Mirapex Litigation
Minnesota Association for Justice, Alexandria, Minnesota (August 12, 2011)
AAJs Topamax Teleseminar: Injuries and Causation
American Association for Justice (April 6, 2011)
Masters in Trial on Jury Persuasion
American Board of Trial Advocates, Columbus, Ohio (September 10, 2010)
Focus Groups and Development of Themes in the Mirapex Case
American Association for Justice Annual Convention, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (July 13, 2010)
Preemption in a Post-Levine World
Minnesota Association for Justice, Alexandria, Minnesota (August 14, 2009)
Obstacles to Justice
Iowa Association for Justice Annual Meeting (November 6, 2008)
So You Are in Federal Court Now What
MTLA Summer Convention (August 9, 2007)
Protecting the Public Health Scientific Integrity at Risk
13th Trial Advocacy Seminar (October 26, 2006)
Top 10 Cases You Never Saw Coming-Recognizing Mass Torts
South Dakota Trial Lawyers Association, 2006 Fall Seminar (September 6, 2006)
Defective Drug and Medical Device Litigation
MTLA Annual Convention (August 12, 2006)
Commencement Speech
Hamline University, Paralegal Studies Certificate Program (May 16, 2003)
Formulating a Discovery Plan in Complex Business Litigation Cases
MILE Complex Business Litigation Seminar (March 20, 2001)
Where Theres Smoke Theres Fire An Insiders View of the Minnesota Tobacco Litigation
Association of University Women, Minneapolis, Minnesota (May 26, 1999)