Leslie M. Kroeger is a partner in and the co-chair of the Cohen Milstein's Complex Tort Litigation practice. She focuses on complex, high-profile product liability, environmental toxic torts, consumer mass and class actions, wrongful death, and managed care abuse litigation.
Ms. Kroeger is a highly accomplished trial attorney who began her legal career in the courtroom as an Assistant Public Defender for the 18th Judicial Circuit of Florida and later became an Assistant State Attorney in Miami-Dade County, Florida. She then moved into private practice where she continues to handle a variety of complex civil litigation before state and federal courts in Florida and nationwide.
Ms. Kroeger is a Past President of the Council of Presidents for the American Association for Justice (AAJ), and is honored to represent the Council on the AAJ Executive Committee. She is also a Past-President of the Florida Justice Association (FJA), one of the nation's premier plaintiffs trial associations. She was the second female President in the history of the association.
Currently, Ms. Kroeger is litigating the following notable matters:
- In re Flint Water Cases (E.D. Mich.): Cohen Milstein was court-appointed Interim Co-Lead Class Counsel to oversee a group of toxic tort class actions filed on behalf of Flint, Michigan residents and businesses harmed by exposure to toxic levels of lead and other contaminants in the city's drinking water. On November 10, 2021, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan granted final approval of a landmark $626.25 million settlement against the State of Michigan. Litigation against two private engineering firms, Veolia North America (VNA) and Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam (LAN), both charged with professional negligence, and separate litigation against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, continues before the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. On August 11, 2021, Judge Levy granted class certification on liability claims in the ongoing litigation against LAN and VNA.
- Underwood v. Meta Platforms, Inc. (Facebook) (Sup. Crt. Cal., Alameda Cnty): On January 6, 2022, Cohen Milstein filed a wrongful death lawsuit on behalf of Angela Underwood Jacobs, the sister of Dave Patrick Underwood, against Meta Platforms, Inc., formerly Facebook, Inc., alleging that by connecting users to extremist groups and promoting inflammatory, divisive, and untrue content, the company bears responsibility for the tragic murder of Mr. Underwood.
- Edwards v. Tesla (Sup. Crt. Cal., Alameda Cnty.): On June 25, 2020, Cohen Milstein filed a product liability lawsuit against Tesla, Inc. on behalf of Kristian and Jason Edwards. Ms. Edwards sustained catastrophic injuries as a result of the failure of the airbags to deploy in her Tesla Model 3 during an accident.
- Edenville and Sanford Dam Failure Litigation (Mich. Crt. of Claims; Cir. Crt., Cty. Saginaw, Mich.): On June 24, 2020, Cohen Milstein filed two separate property damage lawsuits against Michigan State Government agencies, including the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes & Energy and Michigan Department of Natural Resources for blatantly mismanaging and failing to properly maintain the Edenville and Sandford dams, which catastrophically failed on May 19, 2020. Cohen Milstein is representing more than 300 residents and businesses in Midland County and Saginaw County, Michigan and the surrounding areas, including, Arenac, Gladwin, and Iosco counties.
- Bernardo, et al. v. Pfizer, Inc., et al. (S.D. Fla.): On February 20, 2020, Cohen Milstein filed a false advertising, medical monitoring, and personal injury class action against Pfizer, Inc., Boehringer Ingelheim, Sanofi, and other pharmaceutical companies on behalf of multiple plaintiffs and putative class members across the United States who, as a result of taking Zantac (ranitidine), may have been afflicted with cancer or may now be subjected to an increased risk of developing cancer.
- United States ex rel. Long v. Janssen Biotech, Inc. (D. Mass.): Cohen Milstein represents the plaintiff-relator in a whistleblower/qui tam lawsuit against Janssen Biotech (a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson), alleging that the manufacturer of the rheumatoid arthritis drugs Remicade and Simponi ARIA violated federal law by engaging in a scheme through which it provided physicians free practice management and infusion business consulting services over an extended period to induce the physicians to purchase Remicade and Simponi ARIA and administer these drugs to patients, including Medicare beneficiaries, via infusions performed in their offices.