United States
Christopher Gismondi
Of CounselAbout
Chris Gismondi is Of Counsel in the Products Liability, Mass Tort, and Class Action group at DLA Piper LLP (US). Chris litigates high-stakes mass tort product liability and class action lawsuits.
His practice focuses on life sciences, defending companies in mass tort and class actions where general and specific personal injuries are alleged, as well as providing broad-based risk management, litigation, and regulatory support to a wide variety of sectors (including food and beverage, healthcare, and technology). He has taken a particular interest in the rise of claims relating to neurological-based injuries, and common parlance claims of addiction that conflict with, and undermine, the medical definition of addiction. His efforts focus on explaining complex scientific concepts to broad audiences that are not experts in the field and breaking the link of causation between the wrongdoing alleged by the plaintiff and the claimed injury. He handles cases before state and federal trial and appellate courts, arbitrators, and mediators.
Areas of FocusLitigation, Arbitration and Investigations
Bar admissionsNew York
CourtsAll New York state courtsUnited States District Court for the Southern District of New YorkUnited States Court of Federal Claims
EXPERIENCE
Litigation Strategy & Defense Representative Matters
- Defended food manufacturer in product liability action alleging that its products were defectively designed and that it failed to warn consumers of the risk of exposure to trace levels of metal(oids) in the products
- Defended aging services facilities against class action lawsuit alleging substandard care and understaffing
- Defended international financial institution in an S.E.C. investigation into allegations that the institution violated its due diligence obligations in underwriting a follow-on offering for a corporation with its primary operating subsidiary in mainland China
- Defended international insurer in 12 coordinated federal actions alleging violations of the 1933 Securities Act and 1934 Exchange Act with over US$2 billion in total damages, including coordinating the production of over 20 million pages of documents, taking and defending depositions of C-level executives, and drafting discovery and dispositive motions
- Represented international insurer in litigation brought by the company’s former majority shareholder against the U.S. for an alleged violation of the Fifth Amendment, including an investigation of the claims and working with standard of care experts
- Defended multiple Fortune 500 companies in class action lawsuits alleging violations of the 1933 Securities Act and 1934 Exchange Act, including companies in the insurance, financial services, and consumer goods sectors
- Represented manufacturer of CBD edibles in contract and employment dispute with one of the largest cannabis manufacturers in the world
- Represented owners of luxury New York apartment in an action against general contractor for breach of contract
- Represented food manufacturer in state attorney general action alleging that products were fraudulently marketed and labeled in violation of consumer protection statutes
Counseling Corporate Clients
- Advised global food and beverage manufacturers on litigation and regulatory risks associated with food additives and underlying ingredients
- Advised financial institution on the provision of financial services to cannabis companies, including compliance with anti-money laundering obligations
- Advised insurance provider on COVID-related claims portfolio
- Advised packaging manufacturer on the provision of services to cannabis companies
- Advised international pharmaceutical company on whether its psilocybin and DMT research labs were compliant with the controlled substances act
- Advised cannabis cultivator and processor with respect to state regulations and licensing requirements
- Advised cannabis manufacturers on legality of cannabis products
- Advised companies and investment funds on a variety of regulatory issues when pursuing acquisitions of cannabis- and tobacco-related businesses
- Advised product manufacturers in responding to allegations that they manufactured defective products
- Advised international insurer on potential indemnification obligations
- Advised board of directors with respect to the proper procedure to protect legal privilege contained in the minutes of their meetings
- Advised on potential exposure to insider trading laws
- Investigated bankruptcy claims, including working in collaboration with forensic accountants
- Investigated allegations of corporate malfeasance, including working with standard of care experts
Education
- J.D., Emory University, 2009
with honors
Emory Bankruptcy Developments Journal - B.A., Tulane University, 2006
cum laude
Pro Bono
- Counsel to the Board of Directors of the Shirley Leota Foreman Armstrong Scholarship Foundation and foodbank
- Represented individuals seeking expungement of criminal records
- Represented military veteran in coverage dispute with the VA, including reviewing medical records and drafting appeal of coverage denial
- Represented asylum seekers in proceedings before the United States Immigration Court and United States Citizenship and Immigration Services
- Represented discharged military veterans in seeking upgrade of service discharge status
- Represented tenant in dispute with landlord in NYC Housing Court
- Represented not-for-profit entity in contract dispute with promoter of a fundraising event
Publications
- Co-author, "Don’t Let Plaintiffs Get Fat on Rising Food Addiction Complaints," Bloomberg Law, March 19, 2025
- Co-author, "'Ultra-processed food' is too broad a term to be useful," STAT, February 25, 2025
- Co-author, "Courts Must Stick To The Science On Digital Addiction Claims," Law360, January 22, 2025
- Co-author, "8 Childhood Lessons That Can Help You Be A Better Attorney," Law360, October 10, 2024
- Co-author, "Have Algorithms Opened Up Your Software to Product Liability?" ABA Mass Torts, Fall 2023 Edition
My latest insights
Connect
Phone
+1 212 335 4876
(Work, New York)
