Proskauer

An experienced trial lawyer and litigator, Manuel Cachán is Co-Head of the firm’s Trials Practice Group.  He has served as trial counsel in various significant and high-profile matters, including:

• as co-lead counsel for Monsanto in a case brought by a woman claiming that use of the herbicide Roundup caused her non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.  Following a five month trial, a California jury rejected the claims entirely, returning a defense verdict on all counts.  The verdict in Stephens v. Monsanto is the second defense verdict in the Roundup mass tort litigation. All prior trials with plaintiffs who claimed to have personally applied Roundup resulted in verdicts against Monsanto ranging from $80 million to over $2 billion. “Bayer wins second straight verdict in a Roundup cancer case.,” Reuters December 9, 2021; 

• as first-chair trial counsel for Johnson & Johnson in a three-week jury trial in Oklahoma City state court alleging that exposure to Johnson’s Baby Powder causes mesothelioma. Following jury deliberations but before a verdict had been reached, the matter was resolved on favorable terms.

• for Johnson & Johnson in the first-ever California trial relating to J&J’s talc-based Baby Powder and Shower-to-Shower products and their alleged link to ovarian cancer. After trial, the court entered judgment notwithstanding the verdict for the J&J defendants and in the alternative granted J&J’s motion for a new trial. "Could Reversal of $417M Calif. Verdict Foreshadow Doom for Talc Cases?," National Law Journal October 24, 2017; 
• in a similar product liability trial related to J&J’s talc-based products in St. Louis, the jury returned a complete defense verdict on all claims and awarded zero damages. "J&J Gets Its First Win in Missouri Talcum Powder Trials," Law360 March 3, 2017;
• for Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. in federal court in St. Paul, Minnesota, in an approximately two-month jury trial alleging mismanagement of pension investments in the bank’s securities lending program. The jury returned a complete defense verdict. "Wells Fargo Beats Suit Over Securities-Lending Losses," Law360 August 8, 2013;
• for NBCUniversal and KNBC-TV in a one-month jury trial in Los Angeles Superior Court alleging age discrimination, brought by a journalist formerly employed by the company. "NBC Benched Reporter" For Being ‘Too Veteran,’ Jury Told”, Law360 December 4, 2015;
• for Dick Clark Productions in a several-week bench trial in federal court involving breach of a production agreement, brought by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association over rights to the Golden Globes show "Judge Rules Golden Globes-NBC Deal Was Proper", The New York Times May 2, 2012;
• for Rysher Entertainment in a two-week jury trial in a suit brought by the actor Don Johnson, involving his alleged share of profits from a popular television show; and
• for Tesoro Refining and Marketing Company in an approximately one-week jury trial seeking damages sustained by the company as a result of the unplanned shut-off a refining tank.

Manuel has been recognized by The American Lawyer, which has named him “Litigator of the Week” and “Runner-Up Litigator of the Week”; the Los Angeles Daily Journal, which included him in its list of “Top 20 Under 40” lawyers; Benchmark Litigation, which has designated him a “Local Litigation Star” for Los Angeles, a “California Litigation Star” and a “National Practice Area Star” in product liability; Law360, which named him to its list of “Top Lawyers Under 40 in the Nation”; and Minority Corporate Counsel magazine, which listed him as one of twelve diverse “Rising Star” attorneys nationwide.

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