The firms
Levin Papantonio Rafferty is a mass-tort firm in Pensacola that opened in 1955. Firm lawyer Tim O'Brien holds a co-lead seat in each of the two federal hernia mesh MDLs, one for Bard and one for Covidien.
According to his firm bio, Tim O'Brien helped win the $88 million Patterson v. Covidien verdict and served as lead settlement counsel in the 2024 Bard global settlement. He also tried the $500,000 Stinson bellwether in the Bard MDL.
- Main office
- Pensacola, Florida
- Year founded
- 1955
- Fee terms
- No fee unless the firm wins
- Device cases it advertises
- hernia mesh and Philips CPAP
Seats assigned by a court
- His firm bio says Timothy M. O'Brien became co-lead counsel in the Bard hernia mesh MDL (MDL 2846) in September 2018. Proof
- His firm bio also says O'Brien became co-lead counsel in the Covidien hernia mesh MDL (MDL 3029, D. Mass.) in September 2023. Proof
- A March 2022 order put Virginia M. Buchanan on the Plaintiffs' Steering Committee for the Philips CPAP MDL (MDL 3014). Proof
- A February 2019 order named Matthew Schultz to the Plaintiffs' Steering Committee for the Bard IVC filter MDL (MDL 2641). Proof
Results the firm or court published
- Patterson v. Covidien, the first Covidien hernia mesh bellwether, ended in an $88 million verdict on August 4, 2026. O'Brien's bio credits him with helping win it. Proof
- Aaron Stinson won $500,000 at a Bard PerFix Plug hernia mesh bellwether trial in MDL 2846. Proof
Ask about this
- Bard PowerPort, IVC filter, spinal cord stimulator and Nexplanon cases are missing from its list of device cases.
Firm site: levinlaw.com
Mark Lanier started The Lanier Law Firm in Houston in 1990. It is a trial firm, and its lawyers sit as co-lead counsel in two Bard MDLs: port catheters and hernia mesh.
A February 23, 2026 court order updated Kelsey Stokes's appointment as co-lead counsel in the Bard MDL to show her move to The Lanier Law Firm. Levin Papantonio's website also describes her as a co-lead in the Covidien MDL.
- Main office
- Houston, Texas
- Year founded
- 1990
- Fee terms
- Contingency fee; nothing paid upfront
- Device cases it advertises
- Bard PowerPort and hernia mesh
Seats assigned by a court
- On September 19, 2023, the court named Rebecca Phillips as one of three plaintiffs' co-lead counsel for the Bard implanted port catheter MDL (MDL 3081, D. Ariz.). Proof
- Kelsey L. Stokes serves as plaintiffs' co-lead counsel in the Bard hernia mesh MDL (MDL 2846, S.D. Ohio). She joined the firm, and her appointment was updated by a February 23, 2026 order. Proof
Results the firm or court published
- In March 2016, a jury awarded five plaintiffs $502 million against J&J/DePuy over Pinnacle metal-on-metal hip implants. Proof
- In December 2016, a second Pinnacle hip bellwether produced a $1.04 billion verdict for six plaintiffs, the firm says. Proof
Ask about this
- Appeals often cut or overturn big verdicts. Ask what finally happened in the firm's past device trials.
Firm site: lanierlawfirm.com
Schmidt & Clark represents injured people one case at a time, taking clients from every part of the U.S. Most of its work is mass torts: defective products, medical devices, dangerous drugs and toxic exposure.
Schmidt & Clark takes hernia mesh cases from clients across the United States. It has no court-appointed role in a hernia mesh MDL on record and does not publish hernia mesh results, so ask how your case would be handled and whether it would be referred.
- Main office
- Washington, DC
- Year founded
- 2005
- Fee terms
- Free case review; phone line open 24/7
- Device cases it advertises
- hernia mesh, spinal cord stimulators, Philips CPAP, Bard PowerPort, IVC filters and Nexplanon
Awards and certifications
- The firm says Best Lawyers put it on the "Best Law Firms" list for 2026. Proof
- The Texas Board of Legal Specialization has board-certified partner C.L. Mike Schmidt in both Personal Injury Trial Law and Civil Trial Law. The National Board of Trial Advocacy has certified him in Civil Trial. Proof
- The firm says it has made the Super Lawyers list for 19 straight years. Proof
Ask about this
- Its website lists no individual verdict or settlement figures. Ask what it has won in cases like yours.
- Mass tort cases are often passed to co-counsel. Ask if the firm will keep your case or refer it out.
Firm site: schmidtandclark.com
Motley Rice is a plaintiffs' firm in South Carolina that opened in 2003. It holds lead roles in hernia mesh cases and won a Bard hernia mesh jury verdict in Rhode Island.
Jonathan Orent is co-lead counsel in the Rhode Island Bard hernia mesh coordination and lead counsel in the Atrium C-QUR MDL, according to his firm bio. He tried the $4.8 million Trevino v. Davol verdict in August 2022.
- Main office
- Mount Pleasant, South Carolina
- Year founded
- 2003
- Fee terms
- Contingency on most cases
- Device cases it advertises
- hernia mesh (Bard, Covidien), IVC filters (Cook) and spinal cord stimulators
Seats assigned by a court
- His firm bio says Jonathan D. Orent leads the Atrium C-QUR hernia mesh MDL (MDL 2753) as lead counsel. He is also co-lead in Rhode Island's coordinated state-court Bard hernia mesh cases. Proof
- A February 2019 order named Donald A. Migliori to the Plaintiffs' Steering Committee for the Bard IVC filter MDL (MDL 2641). Proof
Results the firm or court published
- In Trevino v. Davol (August 2022), a Rhode Island jury returned a $4.8 million verdict over a Bard Ventralex hernia patch. Proof
Ask about this
- Philips CPAP, Bard PowerPort and Nexplanon cases are missing from its device page.
Firm site: motleyrice.com
Seeger Weiss opened in New Jersey in 1999 and handles mass torts and class actions. A court appointed co-founder Christopher Seeger as a co-lead counsel for the Philips CPAP MDL.
Seeger Weiss advertises Atrium C-QUR hernia mesh cases. Partner Jeff Grand was on the trial team for the $500,000 Stinson verdict in the Bard MDL.
- Main office
- Ridgefield Park, New Jersey
- Year founded
- 1999
- Fee terms
- Not listed on the page we reviewed
- Device cases it advertises
- Philips CPAP, Bard PowerPort and Atrium C-QUR hernia mesh
Seats assigned by a court
- A March 24, 2022 order made Christopher A. Seeger one of four plaintiffs' co-lead counsel for the Philips CPAP MDL (MDL 3014, W.D. Pa.). Proof
Results the firm or court published
- In 2024, Philips settled the CPAP personal-injury claims for $1.075 billion, with a separate $25 million settlement for medical monitoring. Proof
- The Philips CPAP economic-loss class settlement won final approval on April 25, 2024. The firm puts its value at over $500 million. Proof
Ask about this
- A settlement figure covers every claimant combined. No single person receives that amount.
Firm site: seegerweiss.com
TorHoerman Law opened in Illinois in 2009 and handles mass torts. It advertises five of the six device cases this site covers, and one of its lawyers sat on the Bard IVC filter MDL steering committee.
TorHoerman lists hernia mesh among its device cases and states a contingency fee on its device pages.
- Main office
- Chicago and Edwardsville, Illinois
- Year founded
- 2009
- Fee terms
- Contingency
- Device cases it advertises
- hernia mesh, Philips CPAP, Bard PowerPort, IVC filters and spinal cord stimulators
Seats assigned by a court
- A February 2019 order named Eric M. Terry to the Plaintiffs' Steering Committee for the Bard IVC filter MDL (MDL 2641). Proof
Ask about this
- The verdicts the firm features come from non-device cases. Ask what it has won in device cases.
Firm site: torhoermanlaw.com
Morgan & Morgan is a nationwide personal-injury firm based in Orlando and founded in 1988. It says it has over 1,100 attorneys and roughly 140 offices.
Morgan & Morgan has published articles on hernia mesh lawsuits against Atrium and Ethicon. Ask which office and lawyer would handle your case.
- Main office
- Orlando, Florida
- Year founded
- 1988
- Fee terms
- Contingency ("The Fee Is Free Unless You Win")
- Device cases it advertises
- IVC filters, hernia mesh and Philips CPAP
Seats assigned by a court
- A March 2022 order named Michael F. Ram, of Morgan & Morgan's Complex Litigation Group, to the Plaintiffs' Steering Committee for the Philips CPAP MDL (MDL 3014). Proof
Ask about this
- The firm has around 140 offices. Ask which lawyer and which office would run your case each day.
Firm site: forthepeople.com
Every result shown comes from the firm's own published record or from court filings. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
Who handles hernia mesh lawsuits
Hernia mesh lawsuits claim that a mesh used to repair a hernia was defective or came without proper warnings. Most cases target C.R. Bard (Davol), owned by BD, and Covidien, owned by Medtronic.
Two firms on this page have lawyers in co-lead seats in the Bard MDL. Tim O’Brien of Levin Papantonio Rafferty is co-lead in both the Bard and Covidien MDLs, according to his firm bio. A court order shows Kelsey Stokes of The Lanier Law Firm as co-lead counsel. Schmidt & Clark takes hernia mesh cases nationwide and answers its free case review line 24/7. Texas has board-certified partner C.L. Mike Schmidt in Personal Injury Trial Law.
| Firm |
Hernia mesh role or result |
Source type |
| Levin Papantonio Rafferty |
Co-lead, Bard MDL 2846 and Covidien MDL 3029; $88M Patterson and $500K Stinson verdicts |
Firm bio; news report |
| The Lanier Law Firm |
Co-lead, Bard MDL 2846 |
Court order |
| Schmidt & Clark |
Takes hernia mesh cases nationwide |
Firm website |
| Motley Rice |
Co-lead, Rhode Island Bard coordination; lead, Atrium C-QUR MDL; $4.8M Trevino verdict |
Firm bio; news report |
| Seeger Weiss |
Trial team, $500K Stinson verdict; advertises Atrium C-QUR cases |
Firm websites |
| TorHoerman Law |
Advertises hernia mesh cases |
Firm website |
| Morgan & Morgan |
Advertises hernia mesh cases |
Firm website |
Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
The Bard MDL (No. 2846)
The Bard cases sit in MDL 2846 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, before Judge Edmund A. Sargus Jr. On October 1, 2026, the MDL had 23,324 pending cases. A total of 25,217 had been filed since it began.
On October 2, 2024, BD announced an agreement “to resolve the vast majority of its existing hernia litigation.” The terms are confidential. BD says payments run over several years and the amount falls within its existing reserve. No public source confirms a dollar figure.
The settlement did not end every case. BD’s filing for the quarter ended June 30, 2026 says it was still defending about 7,090 hernia product liability claims. That was up from about 6,905 on September 30, 2025. Most of those claims are in the Rhode Island state court coordination and the Ohio MDL.
Three Bard hernia mesh trials before the settlement ended in verdicts for the plaintiff:
| Trial |
Court |
Result |
| Second MDL bellwether (Ventralex patch), April 2022 |
S.D. Ohio |
About $250,000 verdict |
| Trevino v. Davol (Ventralex patch), August 2022 |
Rhode Island Superior Court |
$4.8 million verdict |
| Stinson (PerFix Plug) |
S.D. Ohio |
$500,000 verdict |
Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. If you settled through the Bard program, your firm can tell you what your settlement paperwork covers.
The Covidien MDL (No. 3029)
Covidien hernia mesh cases sit in MDL 3029 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, before Judge Patti B. Saris. On October 1, 2026, it had 2,479 pending cases and 2,489 filed in total.
Most Covidien cases are in state court. Medtronic reported that as of June 10, 2026, it faced suits on behalf of about 10,350 plaintiffs:
| Court |
Plaintiffs (approx.) |
| Massachusetts state court coordinated proceedings |
7,450 |
| Federal MDL 3029 |
2,400 |
| Minnesota state court |
500 |
| Other courts |
Fewer than 10 |
The first federal bellwether, Patterson v. Covidien, ended on August 4, 2026. The jury awarded $88 million over Symbotex mesh: $77 million to Larry Patterson and $11 million to Tammy Patterson for loss of consortium. Jurors held that Covidien failed to warn. It found no fraud and awarded no punitive damages. Covidien said it will contest the verdict.
Drugwatch reports the next Covidien bellwether is set for January 11, 2027. That date is not yet verified on the court docket. As of August 2026, no global Covidien settlement had been announced. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
Hernia mesh cases outside the two MDLs
The Ethicon Physiomesh MDL 2782 in Georgia had no pending cases on October 1, 2026, after 4,054 were filed. Atrium C-QUR cases were grouped in MDL 2753. Motley Rice’s Jonathan Orent is lead counsel there, according to his firm bio. Seeger Weiss and Morgan & Morgan have also published pages on Atrium cases.
Choosing a hernia mesh lawyer
Start with the name of your mesh. Your operative report lists it. Then ask each firm:
- Does your firm file Bard or Covidien cases, and in which court?
- Does your firm hold a court-appointed seat in that MDL, or work with a firm that does?
- Will my case stay with you or be referred?
- What is your fee, and is it in a written agreement?
A filing firm without an MDL seat can still file your case and benefit from the work the lead firms do. Our guide on how to choose a medical device lawyer explains the difference. Every state sets a filing deadline, and it may run from when you learned of the injury. Ask a lawyer soon how long your state gives you. The full firm comparison shows each firm’s other device cases, and the homepage lists all eight firms.