Partner, New York Office
“Justice is about righting a wrong; it’s about correcting what happened, and about getting a remedy for something terrible or tragic that’s happened to someone.”
Wendy R. Fleishman
A partner in our New York office, Wendy R. Fleishman is a passionate and experienced lawyer for the injured and the loved ones of those who died due to the wrongful misconduct of others. With more than thirty years of courtroom experience to draw upon, a large part of Wendy’s practice today consists of representing patients prescribed drugs with undisclosed and dangerous side effects or who received defective medical devices.
Wendy has served in leadership roles in significant Multidistrict Litigation cases in federal and state courts involving pharmaceutical drugs, medical devices, and personal health products, including a 2022 appointment by the District Court as Co-Lead Counsel in the Bovine Milk Formula MDL, a 2019 appointment by the District Court as Co-Lead Counsel in the NFL Concussion Injuries litigation, the 2019 appointment in the MDL lawsuit against the Riddell Helmet Manufacturing Co., and a recent appointment to the Plaintiffs Executive Committee in the Bard IVC Filter Injuries MDL pending in the District of Arizona.
Wendy’s leadership roles in other cases include the Stryker Rejuvenate and ABG-II hip implant litigation, Zimmer Durom Cup Hip Implant Litigation, Yaz and Yasmin litigation, DePuy hip implant litigation, Medtronic Sprint Fidelis heart lead, the Guidant cardiac defibrillator, the Ortho Evra Patch litigation, and contaminated contact lens solution litigation against Bausch & Lomb and Abbott Medical Optics. Wendy devotes a part of her practice to a wide range of individual catastrophic injury cases. Her expertise includes vehicle accidents based on design defects, as well as serious and complicated medical malpractice cases.
Since 2006, Wendy has been named a New York Super Lawyer by Super Lawyers magazine. She is an AV+ rated by Martindale-Hubbell, which indicates she is regarded as preeminently qualified by her peers. She has been named in the top 100 trial lawyers in America. Wendy is an officer of the New York State Trial Lawyers Association. She is a Life Fellow of the American Bar Foundation, the New York State Delegate to the Board of Governors of the American Association for Justice, and past President of the American Association for Justice’s Section on Tort, Environmental and Product Liability Litigation.
Education
Temple University James E. Beasley School of Law, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
J.D. – 1977
University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Post-Baccalaureate Pre-Med – 1982
Sarah Lawrence College, Yonkers, New York
B.A. – 1974
Practice Areas
Defective Products
Personal Injury & Mass Torts
Fraud on the Government
Admissions
New York, 1992
Pennsylvania, 1977
U.S. Supreme Court, 2000
U.S. Court of Appeals, 2nd Circuit, 1998
U.S. Court of Appeals, 3rd Circuit, 2010
U.S. Court of Appeals, 5th Circuit, 2014
U.S. Court of Appeals, 8th Circuit, 2009
U.S. Court of Appeals, 9th Circuit, 2010
U.S. Court of Appeals, 11th Circuit, 1999
U.S. District Court, District of Arizona, 2013
U.S. District Court, Western District of New York, 2012
U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York, 1999
U.S. District Court, Northern District of New York, 1999
U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, 1995
U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Wisconsin, 2013
U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania, 1984
U.S. District Court, Western District of Pennsylvania, 2001
Professional Associations
American Bar Foundation, Life Fellow
American Association for Justice (Board of Governors)
American Association for Justice (Board of Governors, Women Trial Lawyers’ Caucus)
American Bar Association, Vice-Chair, Pharmaceutical, Medical Device and Bioscience General Committee, 2019 – Present
American Bar Association, Annual Meeting, Torts & Insurance Practices Section, NYC, Affair Chair, 1997; Trial Techniques Committee, Torts and Insurance Practices, Chair-Elect, 1996
American Institute of Legal Advocates, Elite Advocate, 2019
Association of the Bar of the City of New York, Product Liability Committee, 2007 – present; Judiciary Committee, 2004 – Present
Federal Bar Association
Board of Advisors for Hofstra Law School’s Mass Tort Institute
Fight for Justice Campaign
Gender and Race Bias Task Force of the Second Circuit, 1994 – Present
New York County Lawyer’s Association
New York State Academy of Trial Lawyers
New York State Trial Lawyers Association, Secretary 2013 – present; Treasurer, 2012 – 2013; Board of Directors, 2004 – Present
New York State Bar Association
New York Women’s Bar Association
PATLA
Pennsylvania Association for Justice, Committee on Legal Ethics and Professionalism, 1993 – Present; Committee on Attorney Advertising, 1993 – Present; Vice-Chair, Task Force on Attorney Advertising, 1991 – 1992
Philadelphia Bar Association, Member of Committee on Professionalism, 1991 – 1992
Published Work/Appearances
Moderator, “Jurisdiction: Defining State Courts’ Authority,” Pound Civil Justice Institute Judges Forum, Boston, MA, July 2017
Speaker, “Diversity in Mass Torts,” AAJ Education Programs, Boston, MA, July 2017
Speaker, “Mass Torts & Criminality,” JAMS Mass Torts Judicial Forum, New York, NY, April 2017
Speaker, “Settling Strategies for MDLs,” JAMS Mass Torts Judicial Forum, New York, NY, April 2016
Moderator & Chair, “Toxic, Environmental & Pharmaceutical Torts,” American Association for Justice Annual Convention, Baltimore, MD, July 2014
“Where Do You Want To Be? Don’t Get Left Behind, Creating a Vision for Your Practice,” Minority Caucus and Women Trial Lawyers Caucus, July 22, 2013
“Ethics of Fee Agreements in Mass Torts,” AAJ Education Programs, July 2009
“How to Find, Understand, and Litigate Mass Torts,” NYSTLA Mass Torts Seminar, April 2009
Co-Author with Donald Arbitblit, “The Risky Business of Off-Label Use,” Trial Magazine, March 2005
Co-Author, “From the Defense Perspective,” Scientific Evidence, Chapter 6, Aspen Law Pub, 1999
Editor, Trial Techniques Newsletter, Tort and Insurance Practices Section, American Bar Association, 1995 – 1996, 1993 – 1994
Editor and Co-Author with James J. Brown, “Proving and Defending Damage Claims: A Fifty-State Guide”
Honors & Awards
Life Fellow, American Bar Foundation
AV Preeminent Peer Review Rated, Martindale-Hubbell
Selected for inclusion by peers in The Best Lawyers in America in fields of Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Plaintiffs and Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs, 2019-2023
“Lawyer of the Year for Mass Tort & Class Action Litigation,” New York City, Best Lawyers, 2023
“Lawdragon 500 Leading Plaintiff Consumer Lawyers in America,” Lawdragon, 2021, 2022
“Super Lawyer for New York Metro,” Super Lawyers, 2006-2022
“Top 10 Attorneys in New York,” Attorney & Practice Magazine, 2021
“Top 25 National Women Trial Lawyers in NY,” The National Trial Lawyers Association, 2021
“Top 100 Trial Lawyers,” The National Trial Lawyers Association
Selected for inclusion by peers in The Best Lawyers in America in the field of “Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions – Plaintiffs,” 2019-2022
“Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers in America,” Lawdragon, 2020, 2021
American Association for Justice, Board of Governors Outstanding Achievement Award, 2019
“10 Best Personal Injury Attorneys in New York,” American Institute of Personal Injury Attorneys, 2019
“New York Litigation Star,” Benchmark Litigation, 2013-2016
Legal 500 recommended lawyer, 2013
“Lawdragon Finalist,” Lawdragon, 2009
In the News
November 8, 2022
34 Lieff Cabraser Lawyers Named to 2023 Best Lawyers Listings
September 29, 2022
16 Lieff Cabraser Attorneys Selected as 2022 New York Metro Super Lawyers and Rising Stars
April 19, 2022
Thirteen Lieff Cabraser Attorneys Recognized as Lawdragon “500 Leading Plaintiff Consumer Lawyers” for 2022
August 23, 2021
31 Lieff Cabraser Lawyers Named to 2022 Best Lawyers Listings
January 27, 2021
Six Lieff Cabraser Attorneys Recognized as 2021 Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers
Representative Cases
AMO Contact Lens Solution
Baycol Class Action
DePuy Hip Implant Recall
Guidant Defibrillators
Ortho Evra Patch
Reglan
ReNu with MoistureLoc
Vioxx Patient Injuries
Zimmer Durom Cup Failures
