Will W. Sachse's practice focuses on defending product liability and consumer fraud act claims, as well as antitrust and commercial litigation. Mr. Sachse's industry experience includes pharmaceuticals, biologics, medical devices, forest products, building products, tobacco, consumer products, telecommunications, and airlines.
Significant Representations
- Seroquel Personal Injury Litigation. Mr. Sachse is an integral member of the team defending AstraZeneca in personal-injury litigation involving Seroquel®, an atypical antipsychotic medication. He was part of the team that tried the first Seroquel® case to go to trial in New Jersey, resulting in a defense verdict--the jury found that AstraZeneca did not fail to warn the plaintiff's treating doctors. His noteworthy work on the Seroquel® case also involves primary responsibility for preparing successful motions in limine in the federal multidistrict litigation (MDL); directing and coordinating legal strategy in cases filed in Delaware and Missouri state courts; and preparing successful summary judgment motions in several early cases listed for trial in the MDL.
- In re Vytorin/Zetia Sales, Marketing Practices and Products Liability Litigation. Mr. Sachse was a member of the legal strategy team in the MDL and related state law litigation for Merck and Schering-Plough. He had responsibility for preparing briefing to dismiss plaintiffs' RICO and state law consumer fraud claims, and successfully obtained dismissal of consumer fraud claims in a Pennsylvania state court case brought by a third-party payor.
- "Lights" Cigarettes Litigation. As a member of a team responsible for legal strategy and briefing in a number of class actions for Philip Morris, Mr. Sachse prepared removal, class certification, and preemption briefing, and worked on expert issues involving marketing.
- In re Linerboard Antitrust Litigation. Over the course of a wide-ranging litigation that spanned almost a decade, Mr. Sachse played a key role in developing and executing a defense strategy that ultimately led to a favorable resolution. In the initial MDL class actions, Mr. Sachse handled class certification and discovery issues. In subsequent individual litigation brought by a number of major purchasers who opted out of the class action, Mr. Sachse played a leading role in developing and defending key company fact and Rule 30(b)(6) witnesses, conducting offensive discovery of opt-out plaintiffs, working with expert economists, and assembling the defenses that ultimately led to the dismissal of thousands of claimants. In connection with these efforts, Mr. Sachse also successfully argued for the dismissal of claims totaling more than $200 million, resulting in a favorable settlement of the remaining claims.
- Diet Drug Product Liability Litigation. Mr. Sachse was a key member of a trial team in three trials involving nine Diet Drug plaintiffs. The team won defense verdicts in eight of the nine cases, with the ninth plaintiff receiving only nominal damages. In one of the trials, the team had an unprecedented victory, securing a complete defense verdict in the second phase of the trial (liability) after the jury had awarded two plaintiffs $5.5 million in the first phase of the trial (damages).
Other areas of experience include:
- pharmaceutical patent/antitrust "sham litigation" individual cases and class actions
- antitrust class actions brought by direct and indirect purchasers of commodity products
- government investigations regarding antitrust issues
- consumer fraud class actions involving consumer products
- consolidated and individual personal injury litigation against pharmaceutical manufacturers
- parallel government investigations and consolidated RICO/consumer fraud actions against pharmaceutical and biotechnology manufacturers
Education
Ithaca College, B.S., 1994
Temple University Beasley School of Law, J.D., 1999, Magna cum laude, research editor of the Temple Law Review
Court Admissions
United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
Bar Admissions/Qualifications
Pennsylvania
Publications and Lectures