John Foley

Attorney John Foley is a partner at Simmons Hanly Conroy in the Mass Tort Department. He dedicates his practice to representing people who have been harmed through no fault of their own, focusing primarily on pharmaceutical, medical device, and dangerous product litigation.

John has represented over ten thousand injured clients in federal and state mass tort proceedings and helped secure hundreds of millions of dollars in settlements for his clients in the areas of Henria Mesh, 3M Combat Arms Earplugs, JUUL E-Cigarettes, Philips CPAP Machines, Transvaginal Mesh (TVM), Essure, Roundup, Xarelto, Metal-on-metal Hip Replacements, Attune Knee Replacements, Actos, Yaz, Avandia, Chantix, Vioxx, Bextra, and Celebrex.

“My legal staff and I fight tirelessly for our clients,” John said. “Because of our experience, we have been fortunate to secure great results on behalf of those injured by dangerous drugs or defective medical devices.”

Working Endlessly for Justice

John fights for his clients, which he describes as people like him, people he grew up with, who are suffering at the hands of big companies. This is not fair to his clients, who are trying to survive and obtain treatments for medical conditions. In his career, he has helped thousands of people affected by the negative side effects of drugs and defective devices. He also recognizes that his team educates people about the dangers of some of these products, often endorsed by celebrities.

“It is irresponsible for companies to market products they know are dangerous just because it makes them billions of dollars,” John said. “I believe that if it wasn’t for trial attorneys, there wouldn’t be anyone playing the role of watchdog over these big companies. I hope my work will someday help end this vicious corporate cycle of profits over people.”

Background and Experience

John started at the firm in 2004 as a law clerk. He earned his J.D. in 2005 from St. Louis University School of Law and returned to the firm after graduation. Now, with over 20 years of legal experience, John fills a key leadership role in the mass tort department, which has secured hundreds of millions in verdicts and settlements for clients. He has also worked on asbestos exposure and mesothelioma cases in the past.

John is admitted to practice in Missouri, Illinois, and California. He is a member of the American Bar Association, the American Trial Lawyers Association, and the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association.

MDLs

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.

John has been appointed to leadership positions in the following TVM MDLs:

Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee

• 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 2387

Discovery Committee, co-lead

• In re Cook Medical, Inc., Pelvic Repair System Products Liability Litigation, MDL 2440