Ned McWilliams is a shareholder at Levin Papantonio. He litigates pharmaceutical, environmental, mass tort and personal injury cases throughout the country. Mr. McWilliams has been appointed to leadership in many of the largest mass tort cases in the country.

Mr. McWilliams is presently serving on the Science and Discovery Committees in the Aqueous Film-Forming Foams (AFFF) Products Liability Litigation (MDL 2873) pending in United States District Court, District of South Carolina before the Honorable Richard Gergel. The AFFF MDL is a mass tort brought on behalf of water providers and other individuals who have been harmed by exposure to AFFF and/or required to incur cost associated with its remediation. The first bellwether trial is scheduled for January 2023.

On March 7, 2022, Mr. McWilliams was appointed as class counsel in Hardwick v. 3M Co. et al., case number 2:18-cv-01185, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio. The Hardwick class is comprised of every individual in the state of Ohio with measurable concentrations of certain PFAS chemicals. The case seeks redress in the means of requiring the manufactures of these chemicals to conduct robust comprehensive human testing to determine whether continued exposure is deemed safe.

Mr. McWilliams also served in leadership roles in In re: Xarelto Products Liability Litigation (MDL 2592); In Re: E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company C-8 Personal Injury Litigation (MDL 2433); In Re: Pradaxa (Dabigatran Etexilate) Products Liability Litigation (MDL 2385); and In Re: Yasmin and YAZ (Drospirenone) Marketing, Sales Practices and Products Liability Litigation (MDL 2100).

Mr. McWilliams is a frequent lecturer throughout the country on mass tort and environmental litigation.

Year Joined Law Firm
2005

Present Position with Law Firm
Shareholder

Areas of Practice
Environmental law
Mass torts

Bar Admissions
Florida

Education
Cumberland School of Law, Samford University; Birmingham, Alabama

Honors and Awards
Public Justice Trial Lawyer of the Year, 2008 finalist

Professional Associations and Memberships
The Florida Bar
American Bar Association

In the News
$650 Million to Settle Blood Thinner Lawsuits In recent years, various players in the pharmaceutical industry have introduced a new line of anticoagulant drugs (popularly known as “blood thinners,” although this is not quite accurate – read on) that have promised to make life much easier for physicians who treat patients at risk for stroke. A stroke of course is the result of a blood clot that cuts off blood supply to the brain, and can result in permanent injury and even death. To read more, click The New York Times

Bayer Withheld Yasmin Data From U.S., Former Agency Chief Says The FDA didn’t accept the documents for the hearing, according to an e-mail sent to plaintiffs’ lawyer Ned McWilliams late yesterday. . . . McWilliams said in an e-mail response to Bhatt, “I think the American public would want to know why the FDA has refused to consider important safety information that Bayer did not consent to be released to the public or the FDA until after the submission deadline.” “Why not look at the documents and make your own independent objective evaluation?” McWilliams said. To read more, click Bloomberg Business

Gulf businesses say BP aid on oil spill too slow When Holmes’ lawyer, Ned McWilliams, called the adjuster’s office, he was the 78th caller on hold. After waiting 45 minutes, McWilliams says, he hung up. When he called back, he was told that Holmes’ file lacked the supporting documents that McWilliams says he provided twice before.” “They’re clearly disorganized, and they need to double or triple their manpower,” McWilliams says. To read more, click USA Today.