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Kenneth Seeger

Kenneth M. Seeger
Partner

SEEGER • SALVAS LLP
455 Market Street, Suite 1530
San Francisco, CA 94105

Phone: (415) 981-9260
Fax: (415) 981-9266
e-mail: kseeger@seegersalvas.com

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Ken’s practice focuses on litigating product liability and commercial disputes. Over the years, Ken has litigated pharmaceutical and medical device cases involving orthopedic hip and knee implants, coronary angioplasty and stent devices, defibrillators, pacemakers, and several brand-name and generic pharmaceuticals. He has won trial verdicts in complex business litigation matters as well as insurance bad faith lawsuits.

Ken is an accomplished trial lawyer, with extensive experience in both personal injury and complex commercial and class action litigation. Known nationally for his pharmaceutical and medical device litigation practice, Ken served as national litigation counsel for Sulzer Orthopedics in more than 4000 civil actions following a product recall. He has been appointed by federal and state judges to leadership positions in coordinated litigation proceedings involving recalled DePuy hips, Medtronic defibrillators and Zicam nasal products, as well as other cases.

In addition, Ken has acted as settlement counsel; most recently as national settlement counsel for a publicly-traded consumer products company in successfully negotiating and implementing a national class action settlement involving hundreds of PPA cases valued at over $100 million.

Ken publishes frequently in areas of his expertise. He authors the updates to the CEB (Continuing Education of the Bar) publications “California Tort Guide” and “California Tort Damages Guide.” Ken is also a frequent lecturer, and has presented seminars and published numerous professional articles on topics such as “Litigating Class Actions,” “Litigating Insurance Bad Faith Claims,” and “Scientific and Expert Testimony at Trial.” Ken has been recognized in San Francisco Magazine as one of Northern California’s “Super Lawyers” each year since 2005.

Ken also devotes considerable time to pro bono projects and was awarded the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights’ Father Moriarty Award for his work on behalf of political asylum applicants as well as the Lawyers’ Committee’s “Living the Dream” award for his career-long support.

Representative Litigation

Click here for a representative sample of Ken Seeger’s cases.

Mass Tort and Class Action Experience

  • Appointed to serve on the Science Committee by U.S. District Judge David A. Katz in In re: DePuy Orthopaedics, Inc., ASR Hip Implant Products Liability Litigation, MDL N0. 2197, United States District Court, Northern District of Ohio.
  • Appointed to serve on the Claims Review Committee by U.S. District Judge Richard H. Kyle in In re: Medtronic, Inc., Sprint Fidelis Leads Products Liability Litigation, MDL N0. 1905, United States District Court, District of Minnesota.
  • Appointed to serve on the Plaintiffs Steering Committee by U.S. District Judge Frederick J. Marton in In re: Zicam Cold Remedy Marketing, Sales Practices and Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2096, United States District Court, District of Arizona.
  • Appointed as co-lead counsel by Hennepin County Minnesota District Court Judge Hon. Charles A. Porter, Jr., in In Re Medtronic, Inc. Implantable Defibrillators Product Liability Litigation, Minnesota Coordinated Proceedings, Case No. PI 05-015531.
  • Appointed to serve on the Claims Review Committee by U.S. District Magistrate Judge Arthur J. Boylan in In Re Medtronic, Inc. Implantable Defibrillators Products Liability Litigation, MDL N0. 05-1726, United States District Court, District of Minnesota.
  • Appointed to serve on the Common Benefit Attorney’s Fees Committee by U.S. District Magistrate Judge Arthur J. Boylan in In Re Medtronic, Inc. Implantable Defibrillators Products Liability Litigation, MDL N0. 05-1726, United States District Court, District of Minnesota.
  • Appointed to serve on the Claims Review Committee by U.S. District Magistrate Judge Arthur J. Boylan in In Re Guidant Corp. Implantable Defibrillators Products Liability Litigation, MDL N0. 05-1708, United States District Court, District of Minnesota.
  • Appointed as Class Counsel by Superior Court of California, County of Alameda, in a class action against a major HMO.
  • Appointed as Class Counsel by Superior Court of California, County of Alameda, in In re Allied Education, vocational school fraud litigation.
  • National Settlement Counsel for Chattem, Inc., a publicly-traded consumer products company, and successfully negotiated and implemented a national class action settlement involving hundreds of PPA cases valued at approximately $100 million. In re: Phenylpropanolamine (PPA) Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 1407.
  • National Litigation Counsel for Sulzer Orthopedics, Inc., a multi-national medical device company, in the defense of more than 4000 civil actions following a product recall, ultimately resolving in a successful national class action settlement valued at approximately $1 billion. In re Sulzer Hip Prosthesis & Knee Prosthesis Liab. Litig., MDL No. 1401.

Selected Seminars & Professional Lectures

  • April 17, 2009: “Compensatory and Punitive Damages in Personal Injury Claims,” National Business Institute
  • January 31, 2009: “Civil Litigation Practice: Recent Developments,” CEB (Continuing Education of the Bar), San Francisco, CA
  • May 20-21, 2008: “Personal Injury Cases: Calculating and Proving Damages,” National Business Institute, Pasadena and Irvine, CA
  • May 16, 2008: “Insurance Bad Faith Claims,” Lorman Education Services, San Francisco, CA
  • January 12, 2008: “Civil Litigation Practice: Recent Developments,” CEB (Continuing Education of the Bar), San Francisco, CA
  • May 15, 2007: “Insurance Bad Faith Claims,” Lorman Education Services, San Francisco, CA
  • November 16, 2006: “Current Issues In Pharmaceutical Litigation: The Preemption Preamble,” ABA Section of Litigation, Products Liability Committee, Schering-Plough Corp., Kenilworth, New Jersey
  • September 13, 2006: “Getting Expert Testimony Admitted Into Evidence,” National Business Institute, San Francisco, CA
  • July 20, 2006: “Insurance Coverage Litigation,” National Business Institute, San Francisco, CA
  • December 8, 2005: “Insurers’ Right To Reimbursement,” Lorman Education Services, San Francisco, CA
  • September 22, 2005: “Class Action Litigation: The Class Action Fairness Act In California,” Lorman Education Services, Pasadena, CA
  • June 30, 2005: “A Critical Update On The Class Action Fairness Act In California,” National Business Institute, San Francisco, CA
  • June 14, 2005: “Class Action Settlement of Mass Tort Litigation: The Phenylpropanolamine (PPA) Model,” Lexis/Nexis Mealey’s Ephedra & PPA Litigation Conference, New Orleans, LA
  • February 17, 2005: “Insurance Bad Faith Claims In California,” Lorman Education Services, San Francisco, CA
  • February 9, 2005: “Punitive Damages After State Farm vs. Campbell,” Strafford Publications, San Francisco, CA
  • December 1, 2004: “Using Multimedia At Trial,” National Business Institute, San Francisco, CA
  • July 20, 2004: “Class Actions In California,” Lorman Education Services, San Francisco, CA
  • February 26, 2004: “Litigating the Class Action Lawsuit in California,” National Business Institute, Los Angeles, CA
  • December 9, 2003: “Damages In California Civil Trial Practice,” National Business Institute, Pasadena, CA
  • November 6, 2003: “Settling Class Actions and Mass Tort Litigation,” The Product Liability Advisory Council, Orlando, FL
  • November 4, 2003: “Litigating the Class Action Lawsuit in California,” National Business Institute, Anaheim, CA
  • July 22, 2003: “Litigating the Class Action Lawsuit in California,” National Business Institute, Los Angeles, CA
  • December 11, 2002: “Anatomy of a Bad Faith Claim In California,” Lorman Education Services, San Francisco, CA
  • October 3, 2002: “Insurance Bad Faith Claims In California,” Lorman Education Services, Oakland, CA
  • May 6, 2002: “Scientific and Expert Testimony at Trial,” National Business Institute, San Francisco, CA
  • June 15, 2000: “Selecting a Jury: Effective Voir Dire Techniques,” ABA Section of Litigation, Torts and Insurance Practice Section, Monterey, CA
  • May 16, 2000: “Litigating the Class Action Lawsuit in California,” National Business Institute, Pasadena, CA
  • January 21, 2000: “Discovery Procedures and Developments,” CEB (Continuing Education of the Bar), Oakland, CA

Publications

  • “California Tort Guide,” CEB (Continuing Education of the Bar), 3rd Edition, 2010
  • “California Tort Damages Guide,” CEB (Continuing Education of the Bar), 2nd Edition, 2011
  • “California Tort Guide: Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Litigation,” (Chapter 13) CEB (Continuing Education of the Bar), 3rd Edition, March 2009 Update.
  • “Compensatory and Punitive Damages in Personal Injury Claims,” National Business Institute, April 2009
  • “Preemption After Wyeth v. Levine,” CEB (Continuing Education of the Bar), March 2009
  • “Personal Injury Cases: Calculating and Proving Damages,” National Business Institute, May 2008
  • “Insurance Bad Faith Claims,” Lorman Education Services, May 2008
  • “Federal Preemption After Riegel v. Medtronic,” CEB (Continuing Education of the Bar), April 2008 (with Brian Devine)
  • “Insurance Bad Faith Claims,” Lorman Education Services, May 2007
  • “Current Issues In Pharmaceutical Litigation: The Preemption Preamble,” ABA Section of Litigation, Products Liability Committee, November 2006
  • “The Preemption Defense In Medical Device Product Liability Lawsuits,” CEB (Continuing Education of the Bar), October 2006 (with Brian Devine)
  • “Getting Expert Testimony Admitted Into Evidence,” National Business Institute, Sept. 2006
  • “Insurance Coverage Litigation,” National Business Institute, July 2006
  • “Insurers’ Right To Reimbursement,” Lorman Education Services, December 2005
  • “Class Action Litigation: The Class Action Fairness Act In California,” Lorman Education Services, September 2005
  • “A Critical Update On The Class Action Fairness Act In California,” National Business Institute, June 2005
  • “Class Action Settlement of Mass Tort Litigation: The Phenylpropanolamine (PPA) Model,” Lexis/Nexis Mealey’s Ephedra & PPA Litigation Conference, June 2005
  • “Insurance Bad Faith Claims In California,” Lorman Education Services, February 2005
  • “Punitive Damages After State Farm vs. Campbell,” Strafford Publications, February 2005
  • “Using Multimedia At Trial,” National Business Institute, December 2004
  • “Class Actions In California,” Lorman Education Services, July 2004
  • “Litigating the Class Action Lawsuit in California,” National Business Institute, Feb. 2004
  • “Damages In California Civil Trial Practice,” National Business Institute, December 2003
  • “Settling Class Actions and Mass Tort Litigation,” The Product Liability Advisory Council, November 2003
  • “Litigating the Class Action Lawsuit in California,” National Business Institute, Nov. 2003
  • “Litigating the Class Action Lawsuit in California,” National Business Institute, July 2003
  • “Anatomy of a Bad Faith Claim In California,” Lorman Education Services, December 2002
  • “Insurance Bad Faith Claims In California,” Lorman Education Services, October 2002
  • “Scientific and Expert Testimony at Trial,” National Business Institute, May 2002
  • “Litigating the Class Action Lawsuit in California,” National Business Institute, May 2000