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.
- 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
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.
- 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
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.
- 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
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.
- 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
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.
- 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
Wisner Baum is a trial firm in Los Angeles that went by Baum Hedlund Aristei & Goldman until January 2023. It tried the first Roundup cancer cases, and today it is a co-lead firm in the federal Boston Scientific spinal cord stimulator cases.
- Main office
- Los Angeles, California
- Fee terms
- Contingency ("No Fees Unless We Win")
- Device cases it advertises
- spinal cord stimulators (Abbott, Boston Scientific, Medtronic, Nevro), Philips CPAP, IVC filters and port catheters incl. Bard PowerPort
Seats assigned by a court
- On August 13, 2026, Behram V. Parekh was named one of three co-lead counsel for the Boston Scientific spinal cord stimulator MDL (MDL 3181, C.D. Cal.). Proof
Ask about this
- Most results the firm publishes come from non-device cases. Ask how much device trial work it has done.
Firm site: wisnerbaum.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.
- 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.
- 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.
The full comparison table
The table below covers the six device cases this site tracks: hernia mesh, spinal cord stimulators (SCS), Philips CPAP, Bard PowerPort, IVC filters and Nexplanon. “MDL roles” lists court-appointed plaintiff seats in device MDLs. “Device results” lists verdicts and settlements in device cases only. Results from other practice areas are left out.
| Firm |
Device cases advertised |
Device MDL roles |
Published device results |
Fee |
| Levin Papantonio Rafferty |
Hernia mesh, Philips CPAP |
Co-lead, Bard hernia mesh MDL 2846 and Covidien MDL 3029 (according to the firm); steering committee, Philips CPAP MDL 3014 and Bard IVC MDL 2641 |
$88M Patterson v. Covidien (2026); $500K Stinson v. Bard |
Pay nothing unless the firm wins |
| Schmidt & Clark |
All six: hernia mesh, SCS, Philips CPAP, Bard PowerPort, IVC filters, Nexplanon |
None on record |
None published |
Free case review; 24/7 phone line |
| The Lanier Law Firm |
Bard PowerPort, hernia mesh |
Co-lead, Bard port catheter MDL 3081; co-lead, Bard hernia mesh MDL 2846 |
$502M Pinnacle hip verdict (March 2016); $1.04B Pinnacle hip verdict (December 2016, according to the firm) |
Contingency; no upfront costs or fees |
| Seeger Weiss |
Philips CPAP, Bard PowerPort, Atrium C-QUR hernia mesh |
Co-lead, Philips CPAP MDL 3014 |
$1.075B Philips CPAP personal-injury settlement plus $25M medical monitoring (2024); CPAP economic-loss class settlement |
Not stated on the page reviewed |
| Motley Rice |
Hernia mesh (Bard, Covidien), IVC filters (Cook), SCS |
Lead, Atrium C-QUR MDL 2753 (according to the firm); steering committee, Bard IVC MDL 2641 |
$4.8M Trevino v. Davol (2022) |
Contingency for most cases |
| Wisner Baum |
SCS (Abbott, Boston Scientific, Medtronic, Nevro), Philips CPAP, IVC filters, Bard PowerPort |
Co-lead, Boston Scientific SCS MDL 3181 |
None found |
Contingency |
| TorHoerman Law |
Hernia mesh, Philips CPAP, Bard PowerPort, IVC filters, SCS |
Steering committee, Bard IVC MDL 2641 |
None found |
Contingency |
| Morgan & Morgan |
IVC filters, hernia mesh, Philips CPAP |
Steering committee, Philips CPAP MDL 3014 |
None found |
Contingency |
Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Settlement figures are totals for all claimants, not amounts paid to one person.
Who holds seats in each device MDL
A federal judge appoints a small group of plaintiffs’ lawyers to run each MDL. Co-lead counsel direct the case. Steering committee members do discovery, motions and trial work for everyone. This table shows the seats held by firms on this page.
| MDL |
Device |
Firms on this page with seats |
| MDL 2846, S.D. Ohio |
Bard hernia mesh |
Lanier (co-lead, court order); Levin Papantonio (co-lead, according to the firm) |
| MDL 3029, D. Mass. |
Covidien hernia mesh |
Levin Papantonio (co-lead, according to the firm) |
| MDL 3081, D. Ariz. |
Bard PowerPort |
Lanier (co-lead) |
| MDL 3014, W.D. Pa. |
Philips CPAP |
Seeger Weiss (co-lead); Levin Papantonio and Morgan & Morgan (steering committee) |
| MDL 3181, C.D. Cal. |
Boston Scientific SCS |
Wisner Baum (co-lead) |
| MDL 2641, D. Ariz. (closed to new cases) |
Bard IVC filters |
Levin Papantonio, Motley Rice, TorHoerman (steering committee) |
| MDL 2753 |
Atrium C-QUR hernia mesh |
Motley Rice (lead, according to the firm) |
No firm on this page holds a seat in the Abbott or Nevro stimulator MDLs, which were created on October 2, 2026. Nexplanon has no MDL.
How to read the table
Device cases advertised means the firm had a public web page for the case in October 2026. A firm may take cases it does not advertise. Call and ask.
MDL roles come from court orders where we found one. Where only a lawyer’s firm bio states the role, we mark it “according to the firm.” Seats in the Bard IVC MDL 2641 date from a February 2019 order. That MDL stopped taking new cases on May 31, 2019.
Published device results are verdicts or settlements in device cases that the firm tried, led or co-led. The Lanier verdicts involve metal-on-metal hip implants, which are not one of the six cases above. Large verdicts are often reduced on appeal, so ask how a past verdict ended.
Fee is quoted from the firm’s own pages. Seeger Weiss did not state its fee on the page we reviewed. Schmidt & Clark lists a free case review and a 24/7 phone line. Ask every firm for its written fee agreement before you sign.
Which firm fits which situation
- You had more than one device, or aren’t sure which device caused the harm. Schmidt & Clark takes all six device cases covered here. TorHoerman takes five.
- You have a Nexplanon implant injury. Schmidt & Clark is the only firm here that advertises Nexplanon cases.
- You have a Bard or Covidien hernia mesh case. Levin Papantonio and Lanier have lawyers in co-lead seats. See the hernia mesh lawsuit firms page.
- You have a Bard PowerPort case. Lanier has a co-lead seat in MDL 3081. Schmidt & Clark, Seeger Weiss, Wisner Baum and TorHoerman also advertise these cases.
- You have a spinal cord stimulator case. Wisner Baum co-leads the Boston Scientific MDL. See the spinal cord stimulator lawsuit firms page.
- You have a Philips CPAP case. Seeger Weiss co-leads the CPAP MDL. Philips’s $1.075 billion personal-injury settlement became final in January 2025.
You do not need a firm with an MDL seat to file into an MDL. Our guide on how to choose a medical device lawyer explains what filing firms, lead firms and referral firms each do. Each state sets its own filing deadline, so ask a lawyer which one applies to you. The homepage explains the four public measures we checked for each firm.