William J. Beausoleil is a litigation partner in Hughes Hubbard & Reed’s New York office with extensive experience in product liability, insurance coverage and general commercial litigation matters.
Bill is acting as lead national counsel for a manufacturer involved in federal and state court suits in the Opioid Litigation, has recently lead a team that conducted a large scale audit for a defendant facing one of the most active and high profile current mass tort litigations, is involved in the high-profile Fosamax litigation, which saw a recent decision from the United States Supreme Court, and is also actively defending clients in active commercial litigations and arbitrations. Bill has also defended his client New York Blood Center in personal injury cases arising from its operations for over 15 years, and had significant involvement in the defense of that organization in the HIV and hepatitis C cases that arose in the late 1990s. He has also played important roles in other litigations, including the Vioxx cases, and cases for Pfizer.
Bill has significant experience in a variety of cases in the commercial context, including acting as lead counsel in a dispute settled pre-trial regarding reimbursement for certain tax shelter liabilities faced by an accounting client, and in various other disputes including those involving purchase of corporate assets. He also has insurance coverage experience, including involvement in breast implant, tobacco and fiber-optic cable cases, and in cases involving complex captive and reinsurance issues. He has served as a federal mediator for numerous Superstorm Sandy cases pending in the district court for the Eastern District of New York.
Recognition
Ranked by Chambers USA for Product Liability and Mass Torts (2022, 2023)
Recommended by The Legal 500 United States for Product Liability, Mass Tort and Class Action Defense: Consumer Products (including Tobacco) (2022, 2023)
Recommended by The Legal 500 United States for Product Liability, Mass Tort and Class Action (Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices) Defense (2021-2023)
Professional Activities
Member, New York State Bar Association
Member, DRI
Member, IADC
Court Admissions
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan
Highlighted Matters
Lead counsel for a large multi-national pharmaceutical company in the national Opioid Litigation
Audit counsel for a defendant facing significant (>10,000 suit) ongoing mass tort litigation
Representation of Merck & Co. Inc. in federal and state court litigation involving two of its drugs, Fosamax and Vioxx
Representation of Pfizer, Inc., in litigation involving Fen-Phen and Dilantin
Representation of New York Blood Center Inc. in numerous cases involving alleged transfusion-related and other injuries
Representation of The Hartford in various insurance coverage matters, including silicone-gel breast implants, pesticides and various other coverage cases
Representation of Marsh, Inc., in various litigation matters
Representation of captive insurers in reinsurance disputes
