Our Attorneys

James R. Dugan II 

James R. Dugan, II, gained valuable experience working with the late Wendell H. Gauthier and the Law Firm of Gauthier, Downing, LaBarre, Beiser & Dean in the areas of class action, mass tort, and complex litigation, beginning with the seminal class action lawsuit filed against the tobacco industry on the basis of nicotine addiction, Castano v. American Tobacco, et al. After Mr. Gauthier’s untimely death in December of 2001, the Dugan & Browne Law Firm was formed continuing to specialize in class action and mass tort litigation. In May of 2006, the Dugan & Browne Law Firm and the Murray Law Firm merged interests continuing to specialize in class action and mass tort litigation. In October of 2010, the Dugan Law Firm and Murray Law Firm separated; however, Mr. Dugan continues to specialize and represent the interests of consumers and clients in class action and mass tort litigation.

Over the years, Mr. Dugan has specialized in the area of complex litigation representing numerous clients, including Blue Cross of Louisiana and other health insurers in cases against the manufacturers of Synthroid, Fen-Phen, Rezulin, Neurontin, Vioxx, Zyprexa, Bextra/Celebrex, Oxycontin, and Ketek. Mr. Dugan also represents the Louisiana Attorney General in the Synthroid, Baycol, Rezulin, Vioxx, Bextra/Celebrex, and Ketek litigations to recoup medical costs the state Medicaid program expended over these drugs. Additionally, he has represented consumers and injured clients in a variety of pharmaceutical, aviation, railroad and maritime cases. As a result of his demonstrated skill and experience in his class action and mass tort practice, Mr. Dugan has been appointed by the court to serve in key leadership positions in a number of large, national class action cases, which include:

1. In Re: Synthroid Marketing Litigation, (MDL 1182), (1997-2004) United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division, Judge Elaine E. Bucklo. Mr. Dugan served as co-lead counsel in this national class action on behalf of third-party payors that were overcharged for the thyroid medication Synthroid.
2. In Re: Diet Drugs Litigation, (MDL 1203), (1997-2002) United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Judge Lewis C. Bechtle. Mr. Dugan filed a national class action on behalf of third-party payors in Louisiana HMO v. American Home Products, et al. Mr. Dugan was also co-lead counsel for a large group of individually represented third-party payors.
3. In Re: Propulsid Litigation, (MDL 1355), (2000-Present) United States District Court, Eastern District of Louisiana, Judge Eldon Fallon. Mass Tort Products Liability case involving thousands of individuals injured from the use of the heartburn medicine Propulsid. Member: Plaintiff’s Steering Committee.
4. In Re: Rezulin Products Liability Litigation, (MDL 1348), (2000-Present) United States District Court, Southern District of New York, Judge Lewis A. Kaplan. Mass tort products liability action involving claims by individuals for personal injury and claims by the healthcare industry to recoup costs associated with paying claims on behalf of members. Mr. Dugan was appointed by the court as Liaison Counsel to a class of Health Benefit Providers.
5. In Re: Industrial Life Insurance Litigation, (MDL 1371), (2000-Present) United States District Court, Eastern District of Louisiana, Judge Martin L.C. Feldman, presiding. Case involving hundreds of thousands of African-Americans who were charged higher premiums than Caucasians for the same type of burial insurance policies. Member: Plaintiff’s Executive Committee.
6. In Re: Inter-Op Hip Prosthesis Product Liability Litigation, (MDL 1401), (2001-Present) United States District court, Northern District of Ohio, Eastern Division, Judge Kathleen O’Malley. Mass tort products liability case involving thousands of claims for personal injury over the recall of a defective hip implant. Member: Plaintiff’s Steering Committee.
7. In Re: Baycol Products Liability Litigation, (MDL 1431), (2001-Present) United States District Court, District of Minnesota, Judge Michael Davis. Mass tort products liability case involving thousands of individuals who suffered personal injury over the defective drug Baycol. Member: Plaintiff’s Steering Committee.
8. In Re: Meridia Products Liability Litigation, (MDL 1481), (2002-Present) United States District Court, Northern District of Ohio, Judge James S. Gwin. Mass tort products liability case involving thousands of individuals who suffered personal injury over the defective drug Meridia. Member: Plaintiff’s Steering Committee.
9. In Re: Serzone Products Liability Litigation (MDL 1477), (2002-Present) United States District Court, Southern District of West Virginia, Judge Joseph R. Goodwin. Mass tort products liability case involving thousands of individuals who suffered personal injury over the defective drug Serzone. Member: Plaintiff’s Steering Committee.
10. In Re: Neurontin Marketing & Sales Practices Litigation, (2004-Present) United States District Court, District of Massachusetts, Judge Patti B. Saris. Mr. Dugan is one of six Class Counsel seeking a refund of monies spent on behalf of consumers and third party payors for payments for illegal off-label promotion and use of the drug Neurontin. Member: Plaintiff's Steering Committee.
11. In Re: Vioxx Products Liability Litigation (MDL 1657), (2005-present) United States, Eastern District Court of Louisiana, Judge Fallon, Magistrate Judge Knowles. Member: Co-Chair Purchase Claims Committee.
12. In Re: Zyprexa Marketing and Sales Practices Litigation (MDL 1596), (2005-present)U nited States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, Judge Weinstein and Magistrate Judge Chrein. Member: Co-Lead Counsel for the Purchase Claims.
13. In Re: Bextra and Celebrex Marketing and Sales Practices and Products Liability Litigation (MDL 1699), (2006-present) United States District Court, Northern District of California, Judge Breyer. Member: Purchase Claims Committee.
14. In Re: Fosamax Product Liability Litigation (MDL 1789), (2006-present) United States District Court Southern District of New York, Judge Keenan. Member: Plaintiff Steering Committee.
15. In Re: Oxycontin Marketing and Sales Practices Litigation, (2007-present) United States District Court for the Southern District of New York., Judge Koel. Co-lead counsel for third party payor. $20,000,000.00
16. In Re: Ketek Marketing and Sales Practices Litigation, United States District Court Eastern District of New York, Judge Townes. Co-lead Counsel for third party payors.
17. In Re: Vytorin Marketing, Sales Practice, and Products Liability (MDL 1938), United States District Court District of New Jersey, Judge Dennis M. Cavanaugh: Member of Plaintiff's Steering Committee. $42,500,000.00
18. In Re: Actimmune Product Liability Litigation, 08-CV-3797-MHP, United States District Court for the Northern District of California, Judge Marilyn H. Patel.
19. In Re: Light Cigarettes Marketing and Sales Practices Litigation (MDL 2068) 09-md-02068, U.S. District Court for the District of Maine, Judge John Woodcock Jr., Member of Plaintiff's Steering Committee.
20. In Re: Avandia Marketing, Sales Practice, and Products Liability (MDL 1871), United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Judge Cynthia M. Rufe.
21. In Re: Celexa/Lexapro Product Liability Litigation (MDL 2067)- 09-CV-1033, United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, Judge Rodney W. Sippel. Lead Counsel of Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee.

In addition to Federal MDL appointments, Mr. Dugan is lead counsel in the following State Court class action cases:

1. US Agencies Casualty Insurance Company, Inc., et al v. Bridgestone/Firestone, Inc. (2004-Present) Judge Sanders, 60th Judicial District Court, Jefferson County, Texas. Lead counsel for a class of property damage insurers to recoup their costs paid out due to Firestone tire rollover property damage cases. Settled.
2. Roxy Wright, Rosalie F. Miranda, et al v. Tenet Louisiana, Inc., et al, (2004-Present) Judge Nadine M. Ramsey, Civil District Court for the Parish of Orleans, State of Louisiana. Lead Counsel for a class of uninsured patients who were billed excessive hospital charges for care. Settled.
3. Rose Goudeau, et al v. The Administrators of the Tulane Educational Fund, et al, (2004-Present) Judge Nadine M. Ramsey, Civil District Court for the Parish of Orleans, State of Louisiana. Lead counsel for a certified class of family members whose loved ones donated their bodies to the Tulane Willed Body Program but were sold by Tulane to third parties for profit. Settled $8,500,00.00
4. State of Louisiana v. Bayer, et al, Case Number 04-439 (2004-Present) Judge Piper D. Griffin, Civil District Court for the Parish of Orleans, State of Louisiana. Lead counsel on behalf of the State of Louisiana and the Attorney General to recoup all costs expended by the State of Louisiana on behalf of the drug Baycol. Settled.

Mr. Dugan received his B.A. from the University of Southwestern Louisiana in Lafayette and his J.D. from the Loyola University School of Law in New Orleans, Louisiana. He is a member of the Louisiana Bar and has also been admitted to practice before a number of federal courts, including the Eastern and Middle Districts of Louisiana, and the Southern District of Alabama. Mr. Dugan is an active member in a number of respected legal associations, including the Louisiana Trial Lawyers Association, the Jefferson Parish and Orleans Parish Bar Associations, and the Louisiana State and American Bar Associations. In 2007 and 2008 I was named one of the Top 100 Trial Lawyers in The American Trial Lawyers Association.

Mr. Dugan is married to Mrs. Heidi Dugan and together they have two sons, James III and Jackson Dugan.