Member, Executive Committee
abrown@kayescholer.com
New York
T: (212) 836-8592
F: (212) 836-8689
Arthur E. Brown is Co-Chair of Kaye Scholer’s Product Liability Group, and a member of the firm’s Executive Committee and Complex Commercial Litigation Group. His practice focuses on representing and advising clients on mass tort and product liability issues, investigations by federal and state authorities, inquiries from Congress, and commercial litigation disputes. As part of his practice, Mr. Brown frequently serves as national counsel representing pharmaceutical companies in mass tort product liability actions, advises clients on strategic litigation and settlement decisions in the areas of commercial litigation and white collar investigations, and counsels clients on litigation avoidance.
MEHRMr. Brown was co-lead national coordinating counsel for AstraZeneca in thousands of product liability lawsuits alleging that its atypical antipsychotic drug, Seroquel, causes diabetes and related injuries. Mr. Brown has also served as regional counsel defending AstraZeneca against product liability cases alleging that its anesthetic, administered via a shoulder pain pump, caused chondrolysis (loss of cartilage). In addition, Mr. Brown was part of the Kaye Scholer team that served as national trial counsel to Pfizer and Novartis regarding both prescription and over-the-counter pharmaceutical products.
Mr. Brown is also an experienced commercial litigator. For example, he advised and successfully defended AstraZeneca in a breach of contract claim brought by Verus Pharmaceuticals stemming from an alleged breach of a Collaboration Agreement to develop a pediatric asthma treatment. The case was dismissed on pretrial motion and the dismissal was upheld on appeal. He has also assisted and defended pharmaceutical companies in government and Congressional investigations related to marketed medicines. Most recently, Mr. Brown joined the team defending former members of AIG’s senior management in a complex fraud action brought by the New York Attorney General’s office under the Martin Act.
Mr. Brown is recommended in The Legal 500 US 2011 for his work in Product Liability and Mass Tort Defense – Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices. The publication describes him as a “phenomenal lawyer,” and ranks Kaye Scholer’s Product Liability group in Tier 1. He was also a part of the Kaye Scholer team that was awarded “Product Liability Firm of the Year” by Chambers and Partners USA Awards for Excellence.
For several years, Mr. Brown was part of a national counsel team representing a number of asbestos manufacturers in nationwide litigation in both federal and state courts. In addition, he has defended construction companies in catastrophic injury cases arising from construction accidents and toxic exposures.
From 1994 to 1997, Mr. Brown served as an Assistant District Attorney in the New York County District Attorney’s office, where he prosecuted a wide range of cases involving street crime, conspiracy, fraud and embezzlement.