Trent B. Miracle - Lawyer in Alton, IL

With 20 years of experience handling a broad array of mass tort cases, attorney Trent Miracle co-chairs the firms Complex Litigation Department, helping thousands of people harmed by dangerous drugs and defective medical devices.

Trent is a shareholder at Simmons Hanly Conroy. Prior to joining the firm in 2003, Trent earned his bachelors degree in English from Depauw University in Indiana and graduated with his J.D. from St. Marys University School of Law in Texas in 1995. He began his career in 1996 as a personal injury attorney practicing aviation law, concentrating on airline and helicopter disasters.

Trent became a lawyer because he wanted to help people who have the odds stacked against them.

Ive worked with thousands of people whove been wronged by large companies, he said. You are not alone, but you alone can make the decision to stand up for yourself. Once you do that, we are here to help you with the rest.

Complex Litigation

Under Trents leadership, the firms Complex Litigation Group has grown from a single attorney with a handful of staff to a team of over 20 attorneys and nearly 20 staff members. The Complex Litigation Group handles everything from pharmaceutical and medical device cases, class action matters and clergy abuse claims. The pharmaceutical group alone has secured over $2 billion in settlements on behalf of its clients harmed by pharmaceutical drugs like Bextra, Yaz, Vioxx, Ortho Evra, Ephedra and more, as well as numerous defective medical devices.

Because of the level of resources the firm dedicates to clients cases, my team and I are able to take on defendants at the national level, Trent said.

The firm has built a national reputation as a leader in pharmaceutical injury litigation. Federal judges have appointed Trent to serve on plaintiff steering committees for several multidistrict litigations including Yaz, DePuy Hip Replacement, Propecia and more. Significantly, he was appointed as co-lead counsel in the multidistrict litigation involving testosterone replacement therapy. In addition, he is regularly asked to speak at legal conferences and is the founding chairman of the American Association for Justices Asbestos Litigation Group.

Fighting for Clients

Clients often tell Trent they hired the firm not only for its past successes, but also for the personal attention the staff and attorneys provide.

A day doesnt go by that someone on my team or myself responds to e-mails from clients, calls a client back or responds to an after-hours call from a client, he said.

Trents typical client is someone who has suffered an acute injury as a result of a dangerous drug or defective medical device through no fault of his or her own. Every litigation area is unique, he said.

Each pharmaceutical case is different with a new science you have to learn in each separate litigation, Trent said. Its a very specialized area of practice that not just anyone can do.

MDL Leadership Roles

Multidistrict Litigation (MDL) happens when a federal judicial panel decides to consolidate similar cases around the nation into one judicial jurisdiction. Attorneys from around the country are then appointed by the judge to serve on a plaintiff or defense steering committee that oversees the litigation on a national basis.

Trent has been appointed to leadership positions in the following MDLs:

Testosterone Replacement Therapy? Co-lead, Plaintiffs Executive Committee

• In Re: Testosterone Replacement Therapy Products Liability Litigation (MDL No. 2545) Propecia? Plaintiffs Executive Committee
• In re Propecia (Finasteride) Product Liability Litigation (MDL 2331) DePuy Pinnacle Hip Replacement? Plaintiffs Steering Committee
• In re: DePuy Orthopaedics, Inc., Pinnacle Hip Implant Products Liability Litigation (MDL 2244)Yaz/Yasmin? Plaintiffs Steering Committee(In Re Yasmin and YAZ (Drospirenone) Marketing, Sales Practices and Products Liability Litigation, MDL Docket No. 2100)Ephedra? Plaintiffs Mediation Committee
• In re Ephedra Products Liability Litigation (MDL 1598), helped negotiate approximately $100 million in national settlements in both the Metabolife and TwinLab bankruptcy proceedings.

Multidistrict Litigation Experience

Attorneys do not have to be appointed by a judge to work in an MDL. Trent has worked on litigation for the following MDL cases:

• Transvaginal Mesh? In re Ethicon, Inc., Pelvic Repair System Products Liability Litigation, MDL 2327?
• In re C.R. Bard, Inc., Pelvic Repair System Products Liability Litigation, MDL 2187?
• In re American Medical Systems, Inc., Pelvic Repair System Products Liability Litigation, MDL 2325?
• In re Boston Scientific Corp. Pelvic Repair System Products Liability Litigation, MDL 2326?
• In re Coloplast Corp., Pelvic Support Systems Products Liability Litigation, MDL 2387Zoloft
• In re (sertraline hydrochloride) Products Liability Litigation, MDL 2342Pradaxa
• In re Pradaxa (Dabigatran Etexilate) Products Liability Litigation, MDL2385.Actos
• In re Actos (Pioglitazone) Products Liability Litigation, MDL 2299.DePuy ASR hip replacements
• In re ASR Hip Implant Products Liability Litigation, MDL 2197Ortho Evra
• In re Ortho Evra Products Liability Litigation (MDL 1742)Bextra
• In re Bextra and Celebrex Products Liability Litigation (MDL 1691)Vioxx
• In re Vioxx Marketing, Sales Practices and Products Liability Litigation (MDL 1657)PPA
• In re Phenylpropanolamine (PPA) Products Liability Litigation (MDL 1407)