Ron Michael Meneo Practicing law for over 25 years, Attorney Meneo has a diverse professional resume. He is experienced in pharmaceutical and medical device litigation, securities litigation and arbitration, tax litigation, administration and planning, estate and will litigation and administration, and commercial transactions and litigation.

Pharmaceutical Litigation
In the area of pharmaceutical litigation, Attorney Meneo has represented individuals who were injured as a result of taking Diet Drugs (Fen-phen) including people suffering from valvular heart disease and Primary Pulmonary Hypertension (PPH). Among the many claims he has handled, Attorney Meneo represented the family of a young woman who died after taking Diet Drugs. On their behalf, he zealously prosecuted one of the very few successful claims based on a finding of endocardial fibrosis. He has also represented clients afflicted with PPH, resolving their cases and obtaining substantial recoveries.

He has also represented individuals who were injured after taking the cholesterol-lowering drug Baycol® as well as family members whose loved one died from complications related to Baycol®. In the Sulzer® defective hip replacement litigation, Attorney Meneo represented individuals whose defective prosthesis failed and underwent revision surgery.

Attorney Meneo currently represents indivdual who developed diabetes and diabetes-related medical conditions after using the anti-psychotic medication Zyprexa®. Early & Meneo, LLP is among a small number of law firms who have achieved a $700 million settlement with Eli Lilly, the manufacturer of Zyprexa®.

He also currently represents individuals who suffered hemorrhagic strokes and other injuries after ingesting phenylpropanolamine (PPA), an active ingredient formerly used in OTC appetite suppressants and cough/cold products. In the nationwide PPA Multi-District Litigation, he serves on the PPA-MDL Discovery Committee and assumed primary responsibility for developing the liability case against Thompson Medical Company and Chattem, Inc., the two manufacturers of the Dexatrim appetite suppressant. Attorney Meneo also serves on the Dexatrim Settlement Subcommittee of the PPA-MDL Plaintiffs' Steering Committee and as one of four Class Counsel in the Chattem Dexatrim Class Settlement. He also serves as a member of the Creditors Committee in the Delaco (formerly Thompson Medical Company) Chapter 11 Bankruptcy intended to fashion a global settlement of Delaco's PPA-containing Dexatrim claims.

Among the more notable pharmaceutical cases handled by Attorney Meneo are the following:

Park v. Chattem, Inc. (USDC W.D. WA 2004) Attorney Meneo serves as one of four Plaintiffs' Class Counsel in this class action settlement involving the PPA-containing appetite suppressant Dexatrim® that was sold by Chattem, Inc. The estimated value of the settlement is $65million and includes some 175 individual claimants.

In re Delaco (USBC S.D. NY 2004) Attorney Meneo serves on the Creditors Committee in this class settlement, structured as a Chapter 11 Reorganization, involving the PPA-containing appetite suppressant Dexatrim® that was sold by Delaco's predecessor, The Thompson Medical Company. The estimated value of the settlement is $122million and includes some 300 individual claimants.

Estate of Loberg v. AHP (U.S.D.C. PA 2002) - a case in which a young woman died from complications related to endocardial fibrosis which she developed after using Diet Drugs. Attorney Meneo successfully prosecuted the claim under the Nationwide Diet Drug Settlement, one of the very few such claims that was paid under the Settlement.

Wilson v. AHP (CA 2002) - a case in which a young man developed primary pulmonary hypertension (PPH) after using Diet Drugs. The case was settled on terms favorable to the Plaintiff who was represented by Attorney Meneo and co-counsel.

Dallman v. AHP (NJ 2003) - a case in which a young woman developed primary pulmonary hypertension (PPH) after using Diet Drugs. The case was settled on terms favorable to the Plaintiff who was represented by Attorney Meneo and local counsel.

Canter v. AHP (CA 2003) - a case in which a woman developed primary pulmonary hypertension (PPH) after using Diet Drugs. The case was settled on terms favorable to the Plaintiff who was represented by Attorney Meneo and co-counsel.

Lewis v. GSK (U.S.D.C. CT 2004) - a case in which the Plaintiff suffered a hemorrhagic stroke after ingesting a cough/cold containing phenylpropanolamine. The case was settled on terms favorable to the Plaintiff whom was represented by Attorney Meneo.

Other Litigation
In other areas of law, Attorney Meneo has successfully represented individuals who suffered economic injuries and losses. Some of the more noteworthy are:

In re Estate of Youngster (CA 2005) a will contest in which Attorney Meneo and co-counsel successfully represented the parent and sister of a deceased family member. The contest was settled among the parties.

Maguire et al v. ORS Corporation et. al, (U.S.D.C. W.D. OK) - securities litigation involving shareholder rights in affiliated companies that owned proprietary oil field technology and other intellectual property used in the production of heavy oil. The case was settled on terms favorable to the Plaintiffs, whom were represented by Attorney Meneo and Oklahoma counsel.

In re D. Osmun v. Shearson, Lehman Bros. (NY) - securities arbitration involving churning of client's account, unauthorized trading and other improper practices. The case was settled on terms favorable to the Plaintiff, whom was represented by Attorney Meneo.

SFS Bank Matter (CT) - representation of a class of individuals whose employment was terminated with prejudice to their retirement and other benefits. Attorney Meneo secured a pre-litigation settlement of the matter that restored all of the lost benefits to the employees.

Germe et. al v N.E. Mortgage Co. (U.S.D.C. CT) - securities fraud litigation involving misrepresentations made to individuals who invested in second mortgages. The case was settled on terms favorable to the Plaintiffs, whom were represented by Attorney Meneo.

In re Estate of H. Ermel (CT) - representation of a class of beneficiaries in a will contest alleging undue influence and lack of testamentary capacity. Attorney Meneo successfully negotiated a settlement on terms favorable to all class members.

In re Estate of Talar (CT) - representation of family members in a professional negligence case involving the handling of an estate and its tax liabilities. The case was settled with the family recouping their losses.

1935-1 Trust v. U.S.A.C. (MT) - representation of Trust and beneficiaries in securities litigation involving subordinated debentures and other debt-financed instruments. The case was resolved on terms favorable to the Trust and beneficiaries, whom were represented by Attorney Meneo and Montana Counsel.

Education and Professional Licensure, Affiliations and Activities
Attorney Meneo has been awarded an AV® rating from Martindale-Hubbell, the widely recognized and premier national attorney ratings organization. The AV® rating is only awarded to attorneys who, in the opinions of their peers, possess high to preeminent legal ability based on one's expertise, experience, integrity and overall professional excellence.

Attorney Meneo is a graduate of Fairfield University (BA 1975), Western New England School of Law (JD 1978, cum laude) and Boston University School of Law (LLM 1980). He is admitted to practice in Connecticut, Massachusetts and New York and is a member of the Connecticut Bar Association, New York State Bar Association, American Bar Association and the Association of Trial Lawyers of America (ATLA). He served as an adjunct faculty member in the School of Business at Southern Connecticut State University and is a member of the Legal Committee of USA Triathlon.

Attorney Meneo was an invited speaker at Mealey's PPA Litigation Conference (2001, 2002 and 2005) and has presented other conferences involving PPA litigation. Attorney Meneo has served as a Contributing Editor of The Journal of Individual Taxation and has contributed to the DePaul Commercial Law Journal.

Of Counsel
Julia Reed Zaic
Julia Reed Zaic specializes in pharmaceutical mass tort litigation and the development of toxic tort cases.  These areas encompass her background and experience both as a scientist and lawyer. Julia received her Juris Doctorate degree from Rutgers – The State University of New Jersey in 2001. She received her undergraduate education at the University of South Florida where she also became an exchange student in San José, Costa Rica. She continued on at USF and earned a Master of Science Public Health (MSPH) degree in 1998 specializing in toxicology and environmental risk assessment.

Julia worked in the environmental consulting field before and during her graduate studies while fulfilling a research commitment at USF in the College of Public Health toxicology laboratories. Julia participated in many research projects at the College of Public Health including a risk analysis of vitrified material produced in situ at the Charleston Naval Shipyard that became one of her presentation topics at the Society of Toxicology convention in 1998. She was later published in the area of comparative bioavailability of heavy metals in environmental media based on research data she produced while developing her thesis for her MSPH degree. She decided to become a lawyer after providing support as a scientist to expert witnesses in toxic tort cases.

Julia attended Rutgers University Law School at Camden where she served on the Law Journal and worked for two different law firms that specialized in championing plaintiff’s causes. After receiving her J.D. at Rutgers, Julia clerked for the Honorable Marina Corodemus (Ret.) in the New Jersey Superior Court, Mass Torts Section located in New Brunswick, New Jersey. 

During her clerkship for Judge Corodemus, she assisted the Judge in the management of complex civil litigation assigned to the court for coordination before trial. Primarily, she facilitated the coordination and performed complex research for several actions assigned to the court including pharmaceutical litigation. Specifically, cases involving claims against the manufacturers of Fen-Phen^®, latex gloves, Rezulin^®, Propulsid^®, and other pharmaceutical products. Julia also assisted with coordination and research of individual tobacco cases and some medical device litigation. She also worked with the Judge and Special Masters assigned to assist with complex discovery issues of the Tom’s River toxic tort litigation locally in New Jersey. 

Before joining Ron Michael Meneo, LLC as Of Counsel, Julia practiced in the Newport Beach office of Lopez, Hodes, Restaino, Milman & Skikos. While at Lopez Hodes, she focused on complex litigation focusing primarily on cases involving Baycol^® , Zyvox^®, Zyprexa^®,  and phenylpropanolamine (PPA). PPA is an additive in many over-the-counter cough and cold medications and appetite suppressants alleged to have caused and increased risk of hemorrhagic strokes especially in women. She has served as a member of the Dexatrim^® settlement negotiation subcommittee for the class resolution of cases against the manufacturers of PPA-containing Dexatrim^® products. She currently serves in an advisory role to the Delaco Settlement Trust, a settlement fund resulting from negotiations effectuated by the Dexatrim^® settlement negotiation subcommittee. Julia also assisted with discovery and pleadings in litigation involving complex worker’s compensation issues surrounding a case against KBR Halliburton filed by civilian fuel convoy drivers and surviving family members the convoy drivers who were attacked by insurgents on April 9^th, 2004 in Iraq.

Julia is a member of the American Bar Association and the Association of Trial Lawyers of America. She is admitted to practice before all of the courts in the states of California and Florida. Federal court admissions include the Central and Southern United States District Courts of California.  

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