ED BLIZZARD

OVERVIEW

Attorneys

ED BLIZZARD

Edward “Ed” Blizzard is a skilled litigator with more than 40 years of experience. Mr. Blizzard has been recognized by his peers and national organizations for his resounding legal successes for many years and he continues to bring the highest level of legal excellence to clients.

Mr. Blizzard has been at the center of some of the largest pharmaceutical injury verdicts and settlements in the country and has successfully taken on some of the world’s largest corporations, including, Merck, Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, and Dow Chemical. He has obtained billions of dollars in settlements and verdicts and is widely known by his peers as an industry expert in mass tort litigation.

Mr. Blizzard began his mass tort litigation work when he represented hundreds of women who had been injured by defective silicone breast implants. He also served as counsel to the Tort Claimants in the Dow Corning bankruptcy which involved nearly 200,000 victims worldwide and he was a lead negotiator of the landmark settlement of $3.2 billion.

Over the next decade, Mr. Blizzard tried cases and negotiated major settlements over once popular diet drugs and supplements Fen-Phen and Metabolife. These cases provided compensation for thousands of victims who suffered serious injuries from these dangerous drugs. Mr. Blizzard was also part of a six-member committee that negotiated a $4.85 billion settlement between Merck and nearly 27,000 patients who suffered medical problems while taking Vioxx.

Over his career, Mr. Blizzard has been appointed to leadership positions in litigations regarding Pelvic Mesh, Paxil, Zoloft, Zofran, and defective hip and knee implants. Mr. Blizzard uses his depth of experience to help current clients hold negligent manufacturers responsible for their faulty products. Mr. Blizzard is currently focusing his practice on a wide number of pharmaceutical and medical device cases including IVC Filters, hernia mesh, breast implants, joint implants, Fentanyl, Valsartan, and talcum powder.

Mr. Blizzard’s work has garnered widespread media attention from prominent media outlets such as, The New York TimesThe Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, and ABC News. Additionally, he has appeared on CNBC’s Squawk Box and CNN Financial News. Mr. Blizzard is a member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum, the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum, the Litigation Counsel of America, and the American Board of Trial Advocates.

Mr. Blizzard has served on the Board of Governors for the American Association of Justice and is a member of the Texas Trial Lawyers Association and the Houston Bar Association. He is Board Certified in Personal Injury Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, a distinction granted to less than 10% of lawyers.

He is currently licensed to appear before the U.S. District Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of Texas, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals, the US Court of Federal Claims, and the U.S. Supreme Court. Mr. Blizzard has been named among The Best Lawyers in America and is listed as a Texas Super Lawyer.

EDUCATION

  • Baylor University School of Law, J.D., Graduated cum laude, Order of the Barristers, 1978
  • The University of Texas at Austin, B.A. in Government, Graduated cum laude, 1974

PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS AND MEMBERSHIPS

  • American Board of Trial Advocates
  • American Association for Justice, Board of Governors, Leaders Forum
  • Houston Bar Association
  • Litigation Counsel of America
  • Million Dollar Advocates Forum
  • Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum
  • Texas Bar Association
  • Texas Trial Lawyers Association

BAR ADMISSIONS

  • State of Texas, 1978
  • S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas
  • S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas
  • Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals
  • Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals
  • U.S. Supreme Court
  • U.S. Court of Federal Claims

CERTIFICATIONS

  • Board Certified In Personal Injury Law by The Texas Board of Legal Specialization

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

  • American Board of Trial Advocates
  • American Association for Justice, Board of Governors, Leaders Forum
  • Houston Bar Association
  • Litigation Counsel of America
  • Million Dollar Advocates Forum
  • Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum
  • Texas Bar Association
  • Texas Trial Lawyers Association

PROFESSIONAL AWARDS

  • Best Lawyers in America, 2003-2024
  • Super Lawyer by Thomson Reuters, 2004, 2008-2023
  • Best Lawyers in Texas, 2016

SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS AND PUBLICATIONS

  • “Vioxx: An Overview and Maneuvering Through the Settlement Process”, American Association for Justice San Juan Winter Convention, January 2008
  • “Winning in Depositions: Victory through Killer Depositions”, American Association for Justice, February 2008
  • “Pushing Cases in Litigation to Achieve Resolution”, American Association for Justice, June 2008
  • “Hot Topics in Pharmaceutical & Medical Device Litigation”, American Association for Justice Faculty Seminar, September 2008
  • “Deconstructing the U.S. Supreme Court’s Decision on Preemption in Wyeth v. Levine”, American Association for Justice Teleseminar, March 2009
  • “Understanding the SSRI’s Involved in Causing Birth Defects”, “Birth Defect and Zimmer Litigation”, Mass Torts Made Perfect, May 2011
  • “Ethical Consideration in the Settlement of SSRI Birth Defect Cases”, Mass Torts Made Perfect, September 2011
  • “Birth Defect Litigation Updates”, Zoloft and Birth Defects Litigation Conference, July 2012
  • “The Battles That Win the Wars:  Settlement Strategies”, Mass Torts Made Perfect, April 2013
  • Panel Moderator for Metal-On-Metal Hip Implants, TTLA – 2nd Annual Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Seminar, April 2014
  • Panel Speaker at Mass Torts Conference Houston, October 2014

LEADERSHIP POSITIONS

  • Appointed to the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee,MDL No. 2342, In Re: Zoloft (Sertraline Hydrochloride) Products Liability Litigation; in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, by the Hon. Judge Cynthia M. Rufe.
  • Appointed to the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee,MDL No. 2187, In Re: C.R. Bard, Inc., Pelvic Repair System Products Liability Litigation, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia, by the Hon. Judge Joseph R. Goodwin.
  • Appointed to the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee,MDL Docket No. 1:10 md 2197, In Re: DePuy Orthopaedics, Inc. ASR Hip Implant Products; in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, by the Hon. Judge David A. Katz.
  • Appointed to the 5-member Committee to negotiate $1.2 billion settlement in MDL 1401, In Re: Sulzer Orthopedics Inc. Hip Prosthesis and Knee Prosthesis Liability, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, by the Hon. Judge Kathleen O’Malley.
  • Appointed to the 6-member Negotiation Plaintiffs’ Committee, MDL 1657, In Re: Vioxx Products Liability Litigation,in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, by the Hon. Judge Fallon.
  • Chair of the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee, MDL 1598, In Re: Ephedra Products Liability Litigation, United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.
  • Member of the Texas State Court Steering Committee, Silicone Breast Implant Litigation.
  • Steering Committee Member, MDL 1203, In Re: Diet Drugs (Phentermine, Fenfluramine, Dexfenfluramine) Products Liability Litigation, United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
  • Appointed to Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee, MDL 1968, In Re: Digitek Products Liability Litigation, United States District Court Southern District of West Virginia, by the Hon. Judge Joseph R. Goodwin