Tara Sutton Named President of Public Justice

Minneapolis, MN—July 27, 2017—Robins Kaplan LLP® is pleased to announce that Tara Sutton, partner and chair of the Firm’s Mass Tort practice and member of the Executive Board, has been unanimously elected president of Public Justice for a one-year term.

As president of Public Justice, a national public interest law firm that protects consumer rights through precedent-setting and socially significant litigation, Sutton will guide the organization’s litigation, fundraising, and advocacy work, and lead the Board of Directors and Executive Committee.  

“Public Justice is fortunate to have Tara leading our board at such a significant moment in our history,” said Paul Bland, the organization’s Executive Director. “As so many of the issues at the heart of our mission come under increasing attack, Tara’s thoughtful and inspirational leadership will help ensure we are able to step up as our government steps back from the critical work of protecting workers, consumers, the environment and our civil liberties. Tara’s passion and resolve will be critical as we work to expand our outreach and tackle the formidable challenge of defending the progress we’ve made and continuing our work to make a positive impact on people’s lives and create real, lasting change.”

“I am so honored to be the president of an organization that is dedicated to the pursuit of justice and creating change in the lives of people and communities throughout the country,” said Ms. Sutton.  “Our more than 3,000 members are the lifeblood of Public Justice and are comprised of trial lawyers, appellate lawyers, consumer advocates, environmental lawyers, employment lawyers, civil rights attorneys, class action specialists, law professors, students, and others who are dedicated to taking a stand against injustice."

Sutton has established herself as a respected trial lawyer representing individuals who have been harmed by the pharmaceutical and medical device industries. She has secured multi-million dollar settlements and verdicts on behalf of her clients.  She serves in plaintiff’s leadership positions in a variety of high profile multi-district and multi-jurisdictional product liability cases.

Most notably, Sutton negotiated on behalf of plaintiffs a $1.4 billion global settlement in the Stryker Rejuvenate/ABGII modular hip litigation for both the multi-county litigation and the federal multi-district litigation that included a gross base award of $300,000 per failed implant and no overall cap or fixed fund for Stryker’s liability. She currently serves on the Plaintiff’s Executive Committee and as co-chair of the Plaintiffs Science and Expert Committee in the Benicar Multi-District Litigation, MDL No. 2606.  She is currently court-appointed plaintiffs’ Settlement Counsel in the Abilify Multi-District Litigation, MDL No. 2734.

Sutton’s dedication to helping others extends beyond her commitment to her clients. She has served in various leadership positions on Public Justice’s Board of Directors since 2010, and served for many years on the Board of Governor for the Minneapolis Children’s Theatre.

Law Dragon recently named Ms. Sutton one of the nation’s 500 leading lawyers.  In 2015, The National Law Journal name Ms. Sutton one of the 75 outstanding women lawyers in America.  She was also named “Product Liability MVP” by Law360 and was a recipient of the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal’s ‘Women in Business Award.’