Liza M. Walsh

Partner, Roseland Office

85 Livingston Avenue

Roseland, New Jersey 07068

Phone:  (973) 535-0500

lwalsh@connellfoley.com

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Representative Experience
Published Decisions
Professional Activities

Liza M. Walsh focuses her practice on federal and complex commercial litigation, with emphasis on intellectual property, antitrust, and class action defense matters. Ms. Walsh has extensive experience representing some of the country's largest and most prestigious companies, through which she has earned a reputation of being a fierce advocate on her clients' behalf.

Ms. Walsh has represented clients from a diverse range of industries, including pharmaceuticals, health and title insurance, financial services, life sciences, a range of technological fields, and other service and product industries. She also has substantial experience in defending complex, putative class actions and handling issues involving the consumer fraud, antitrust, intellectual property, and health care/ERISA laws on behalf of a variety of clients. In addition, Ms. Walsh's strong leadership skills have been shown through her representations as liaison counsel to groups of defendants in multi-party litigation and as Counsel to the Special Master in a continuing court-ordered environmental cleanup in Jersey City, New Jersey.

Ms. Walsh has been named to Best Lawyers in America® in the field of Commercial Litigation (2007-2011) and Patent Law (2001). She was also chosen by NJBIZ Magazine as one "New Jersey's Best 50 Women in Business."

Ms. Walsh has been with Connell Foley LLP since 1986, and, only five years after joining, became a partner based on her sharp advocacy and dynamic leadership skills. While maintaining a busy practice, Ms. Walsh served a fifteen-year term as a member of Connell Foley’s Hiring Committee, Management Committee and Executive Committee and currently serves as Chair of the firm's Finance Committee.

Prior to joining Connell Foley LLP, Ms. Walsh served as Law Clerk to the Honorable Clarkson S. Fisher, Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey from 1985 to 1986. Prior thereto, she served as Law Clerk to the Honorable Charles Harrington, J.S.C. of the New Jersey Superior Court from 1984 to 1985.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Practice Areas:

Commercial Litigation

Intellectual Property

Antitrust

Class Actions

Health Care/ERISA Litigation

 

Admitted to Practice:

State of New Jersey

United States District Court for the District  of New Jersey

United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit

United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit

United States Supreme Court

 

 

Affiliations:

American Bar Association

New Jersey State Bar Association

 

Education:

Manhattan College (B.S., Business Administration, 1981)

Seton Hall University School of Law (J.D., 1984)

 

News:

New Jersey & Company Chronicles Liza Walsh's Rise to Top of the State's Corporate Litigation Field (November 2008)

Ten Connell Foley Partners Named to 2012 Best Lawyers Directory (September 2011)

Liza Walsh, Patricia Lee and Neil Shah Win Dismissal of New Jersey Dental Association Action (February 2011)

New York's Best Legal Representation Found at Connell Foley Affirmed by Best Lawyers (December 2010)

Ten Connell Foley Partners Named to 2011 Best Lawyers® Directory (August 2010)

Connell Foley Announces 23 Attorneys Named to 2010 New Jersey Super Lawyers and Rising Stars List (April 2010)

Walsh Featured in New Jersey Business Saluting Successful Women Attorneys (March 2010)

Liza M. Walsh Named to New Jersey State Bar Association’s Judicial and Prosecutorial Appointments Committee (February 2010)

Eight Partners Named to 2010 Best Lawyers® Directory (October 2009)

Connell Foley Announces 18 Attorneys Named to 2009 New Jersey Super Lawyers and Rising Stars List (April 2009)

Walsh Featured in New Jersey Business magazine Article on Recession Survival (January 2009)

Walsh Quoted in The National Law Journal (February 2007)

Liza M. Walsh Selected by NJBiz as one of "New Jersey's Best 50 Women in Business"  (February 2006)

Representative Experience

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Representing Aetna entities in defending a putative class action that challenges under ERISA the practices of Aetna’s internal fraud investigations employed to recover overpaid health benefits claims and successfully moved for the dismissal of RICO claims challenging that practice.
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Representing Wyeth Inc. entities in defending putative class actions from direct and indirect purchasers of the pharmaceutical product Effexor XR®, which assert antitrust violations arising from Wyeth’s patents regarding Effexor XR® and related patent litigation with pharmaceutical companies seeking to sell generic versions of the product.
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Representing insurers and serving as liaison counsel to insurers and brokers in defending a putative class action asserting antitrust and RICO claims relating to the practice of paying contingent commissions to brokers in both the District Court of New Jersey and the Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.
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Representing UBS entities and individual defendants in defending a putative class action brought pursuant to the PSLRA arising out of purchases of certain mortgage-backed assets and successfully moved for the dismissal of the Amended Consolidated Complaint.   

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Representing Aetna entities in defending a putative class action challenging the use of certain databases to determine “usual and customary rates” for reimbursing plan members for visits to out-of-network providers.
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Representing sanofi-aventis US entities in state-court class action asserting that certain pharmaceutical companies allegedly reported false and inflated average wholesale prices for certain types of outpatient drugs, related to pending Multi-District Litigation.
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Representing Prudential and individual defendants in defending a putative class action brought pursuant to the PSLRA arising out of a public offering of junior subordinated notes.
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Representing Perdue Farms Inc. in defending a putative class action asserting consumer fraud allegations relating to Perdue’s labeling and sales of certain of its chicken products.
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Representing a variety of pharmaceutical companies as local counsel in prosecuting or defending patent litigation claims arising under the Hatch-Waxman Act.
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Representing Ideavillage Products in defending a putative class action that asserted claims of consumer fraud, unjust enrichment, and the like relating to the advertising, marketing, and sales of the Kinoki Foot Pads products.
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Representing clients in the snack food industry in defending against putative class actions in the District of New Jersey and Eastern District of Pennsylvania based on consumer fraud allegations that the caloric and fat content of certain snack foods were mislabeled.
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Representing life sciences entities and serving as liaison counsel to approximately 100 pharmaceutical, technological, and other life sciences entities in defending claims of patent infringement in both the District of New Jersey and the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.
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Representing Mosaid Technologies in patent litigation regarding circuits on DRAM chips and achieved major victory through, in part, a landmark legal decision on e-discovery.
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Representing Texas Instruments as local counsel in patent and antitrust litigation that resulted in the entry of a jury verdict in excess of $100,000,000.00 on behalf of the client.
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Representing sanofi-aventis entities in defending qui tam litigation arising out of the False Claims Act.

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Representing directors and officers of a real estate developer in defending claims of consumer fraud and violations of the New Jersey Planned Real Estate Development Full Disclosure Act in connection with the development, offering, and sale of certain condominiums.

Published Decisions
• Pension Trust Fund for Operating Eng’r v. Mortgage Asset Securitization Trans., Inc., 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 114090 (D.N.J. Sept. 29, 2011).
• Ass’n of N.J. Chiropractors v. Aetna, Inc., 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 67718 (D.N.J. June 17, 2011).
• Ass’n of N.J. Chiropractors v. Aetna, Inc., 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 67718 (D.N.J. June 20, 2011).
• TransWeb, LLC v. 3M Innovative Props. Co., 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 59095 (D.N.J. June 1, 2011).
• Eisai Inc. v. sanofi-aventis U.S., LLC, 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 128429 (D.N.J. Nov. 7, 2011).
• Eisai Inc. v. sanofi-aventis U.S., LLC, 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 128430 (D.N.J. Nov. 7, 2011).
• Eisai Inc. v. sanofi-aventis U.S., LLC, 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 128447 (D.N.J. Nov. 7, 2011).
• Pieczenik v. Abbott Labs., 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 29790 (D.N.J. Mar. 23, 2011).
• 1200 Grand Street Condo. Assoc. v. Tarragon Corp., 2011 Bankr. LEXIS 1001 (Bankr. D.N.J. Mar. 18, 2011).
• Aventis Pharm., Inc. v. Impax Labs., 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 3824 (D.N.J. Jan. 13, 2011).
• Aventis Pharm., Inc. v. Impax Labs., 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 2858 (D.N.J. Jan. 11, 2011).
• United States ex rel. Piacentile v. Sanofi Synthelabo, Inc., 2010 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 137895 (D.N.J. Dec. 31, 2010).
• Wyeth v. Orgenus Pharma, 2010 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 111004 (D.N.J. Oct. 19, 2010).
• 1200 Grand Street Condo. Assoc. v. Tarragon Corp., 2010 Bankr. LEXIS 3515 (Bankr. D.N.J. Oct. 1, 2010).
• Skolnick v. Tarragon Corp., 2010 Bankr. LEXIS 6290 (Bankr. D.N.J. Sept. 27, 2010).
• Eisai Inc. v. sanofi-aventis U.S., LLC, 2010 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 94460 (D.N.J. Sept. 20, 2010).
• In re Ins. Brokerage Antitrust Litig., 618 F.3d 300 (3d Cir. 2010).
• LLDV, L.P. v. Dinicola, 2010 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 82078 (D.N.J. Aug. 12, 2010).
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Eisai Inc. v. sanofi-aventis U.S., LLC, 2010 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 82291 (D.N.J. Aug. 10, 2010).
• In re N.J. Title Ins. Litig., 2010 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 67273 (D.N.J. July 6, 2010).
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Bauer v. Prudential Fin., Inc., 2010 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 64384 (D.N.J. June 29, 2010).
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Albany Molecular Research, Inc. v. Dr. Reddy’s Labs., Ltd., 2010 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 59236 (D.N.J. June 14, 2010).
• Nelson v. Xacta 3000 Inc., 2010 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 47128 (D.N.J. May 12, 2010).
• Schering Corp. v. Glenmark Pharms., Inc. USA, 2010 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 38382 (D.N.J. Apr. 19, 2010).
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Fritzky v. Aetna Health, Inc., 2010 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 27730 (D.N.J. Mar. 24, 2010).
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In re Ins. Brokerage Antitrust Litig., 374 Fed. App’x 263 (3d Cir. 2010).
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In re Title Ins. Litig., 2009 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 80582 (D.N.J. Oct. 5, 2009).
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Novo Nordisk v. sanofi-aventis U.S. LLC, 2009 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 62657 (D.N.J. July 22, 2009).
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Schatz-Bernstein v. Keystone Food Prods., 2009 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 34700 (D.N.J. Apr. 17, 2009).
• Devito v. Aetna, Inc., 536 F. Supp. 2d 523 (D.N.J. 2008).
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Novo Nordisk v. sanofi-aventis U.S. LLC, 2008 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 12342 (D.N.J. Feb. 19, 2008).
• Appaloosa Inv., L.P.I. v. J.P. Morgan Sec., Inc., 398 N.J. Super. 52, 939 A.2d 257 (App. Div. 2008).
• Broadcom Corp. v. Qualcomm Inc., 501 F.3d 297 (3d Cir. 2007).
• Aventis Pharm., Inc. v. Barr Lab., Inc., 411 F. Supp. 2d 490 (D.N.J. 2006).
• In re Aventis Pharm., Inc., 372 F. Supp. 2d 430 (D.N.J. 2005).
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MOSAID Tech. Inc. v. Samsung Elec. Co., 362 F. Supp. 2d 526 (D.N.J. 2004).
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MOSAID Tech. Inc. v. Samsung Elec. Co., 348 F. Supp. 2d 595 (D.N.J. 2004).
• Di Giorgio Corp. v. Mendez and Co., 230 F. Supp. 2d 552 (D.N.J. 2002).
• Bio-Tech. Gen. Corp. v. Duramed Pharm., Inc., 174 F. Supp. 2d 229 (D.N.J. 2001).
• Biovail Corp. Int’l v. Hoechst Aktiengesellschaft, 49 F. Supp. 2d 750 (D.N.J. 1999).
• Eli Lilly and Co. v. Roussell Corp., 23 F. Supp. 2d 460 (D.N.J. 1998).
• Bryant v. N.J. Dept. of Transp., 1 F. Supp. 2d 426 (D.N.J. 1998).
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Bryant v. N.J. Dept. of Transp., 998 F. Supp. 438 (D.N.J. 1998).

Professional Activities
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Essex County Representative, New Jersey Bar Association Judicial and Prosecutorial Committee
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Fellow, American Bar Foundation
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Trustee, Federal Bar of the State of New Jersey

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Trustee, New Jersey District Court Historical Society

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Member, Fellows of the American Bar Foundation
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Member, Finance Committee, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark
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Chairperson, Outside Compensation Committee; Member, Board of Directors, Bally Total Fitness Corporation (1996−2003)

Honors and Awards
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Best Lawyers in America®, Commercial Litigation (2007−2011)
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Best Lawyers in America®, Patent Law (2011)
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New Jersey Super Lawyers®, (2007−2011)
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“New Jersey’s Best 50 Women in Business,” NJBIZ Magazine 
   
   
   
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