Stephanie E.Parker

Practice Leader Business & Tort Litigation

Atlanta + 1.404.581.8552

Stephanie Parker co-leads the Firm's Business & Tort Litigation Practice and oversees the product liability litigation practice. She has extensive experience trying and leading "bet the company" litigation, especially product liability, mass tort, and patent cases. In June 2019, she led the team that won a complete defense verdict in Robinson v. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, which was the retrial of a $23.6 billion plaintiff's verdict (originally tried by another firm). She also led the team that achieved the record-breaking patent infringement verdict for Idenix Pharmaceuticals (subsidiary of Merck & Co.), the largest infringement verdict in U.S. history. After a two-week trial, the jury ordered Gilead Sciences to pay $2.54 billion in damages. Stephanie was named "Litigator of the Week" by The AmLaw Litigation Daily for Idenix's patent victory. She also serves as lead lawyer on significant litigation for GE.

Stephanie has served clients in the tobacco, chemical, gasoline, pharmaceutical, medical device, aerospace, and automotive industries. She also has significant other litigation experience, ranging from banking to white collar criminal matters to the First Amendment. For more than 20 years, Stephanie has served as lead trial counsel for R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company in smoking and health-related jury trials. In this role, she has tried every bellwether trial in the Engle litigation: she was the lead defense lawyer in Reynolds' first state court trial, which resulted in the first ever Engle defense verdict for the industry; she was the lead defense lawyer in the first Engle federal court case, which also resulted in a defense verdict; and she has made many significant legal arguments on behalf of Reynolds.

Video

Experience

  • Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Company wins complete defense verdict in Taylor personal injury lawsuitAfter three weeks of trial, Jones Day client Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Company Inc. (sister company to R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company) obtained a complete defense verdict from a jury in state court in Portland, Oregon in a personal injury case regarding a smoker's bladder cancer diagnosis.
  • R.J. Reynolds wins complete defense verdict in Agnitti wrongful death lawsuitFollowing more than five weeks of trial, a jury in state court in Woburn, Massachusetts returned a complete defense verdict in favor of Jones Day client, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, in a wrongful death case.
  • R.J. Reynolds wins complete defense verdict in Farchione wrongful death lawsuitFollowing four weeks of trial, a jury in state court in Boston, Massachusetts returned a complete defense verdict in favor of Jones Day clients, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company and Stop & Shop, in a wrongful death case.
  • R.J. Reynolds wins complete defense verdict in Youngers smoking and health lawsuitFollowing two weeks of trial, a jury in state court in Santa Fe, New Mexico returned a complete defense verdict in favor of Jones Day client, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, in a smoking and health case.
  • R.J. Reynolds wins complete defense verdict in Gallagher personal injury lawsuitFollowing three weeks of trial, a jury in state court in Woburn, Massachusetts returned a complete defense verdict in favor of Jones Day client, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company.
  • R.J. Reynolds wins complete defense verdict in Stoklosa smoking & health lawsuitFollowing three weeks of trial, a jury in state court in Chicago, Illinois returned a complete defense verdict in favor of Jones Day client, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, in a smoking & health case.
  • R.J. Reynolds successfully enforces patents in ITC trial against Philip Morris in dispute over cigarette alternativeJones Day's client Reynolds achieved a precedent-setting victory before the International Trade Commission (ITC) against its main competitors Philip Morris Products S.A. ("Philip Morris") and Altria Client Services LLC ("Altria") in a patent infringement dispute involving tobacco heating and vaping products.
  • R.J. Reynolds Vapor Company and e-cigarette retailers successfully move to stay FDA's marketing denial order for menthol-flavored e-cigaretteAt the request of Jones Day clients including R.J. Reynolds Vapor Company, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit stayed the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's marketing denial order for the menthol-flavored Vuse Vibe e-cigarette.
  • R.J. Reynolds wins complete defense verdict in Kinnally wrongful death lawsuitFollowing three and a half weeks of trial, a jury in state court in Boston, Massachusetts returned a complete defense verdict in favor of Jones Day client, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, in a wrongful death case.
  • R.J. Reynolds successfully challenges constitutionality of FDA's graphic warnings ruleOn December 7, 2022, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas ruled--in favor of Jones Day clients that include R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company--that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's regulation requiring graphic cigarette warning labels is unconstitutional.
  • R.J. Reynolds wins complete defense verdict in Anderson wrongful death lawsuitOn October 25, 2022, following two weeks of trial, a jury in state court in Gadsden County, Florida returned a complete defense verdict in favor of Jones Day client, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, in a wrongful death case.
  • R.J. Reynolds secures $135 million victory in the Supreme Court of the Virgin IslandsJones Day successfully represented R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company before the Supreme Court of the Virgin Islands in a pair of consolidated appeals, erasing more than $135 million from the judgments.
  • R.J. Reynolds wins complete defense verdict in Jones wrongful death lawsuitAfter a trial lasting three weeks, a state court jury in Vero Beach, Florida returned a complete defense verdict in favor of Jones Day client R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company in a wrongful death case.
  • Organon defeats failure-to-warn claims in Fosamax® litigationOrganon & Co., represented by Jones Day, recently prevailed against hundreds of plaintiffs claiming that Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp. (Organon's predecessor in interest) failed to warn them about the risk of developing so-called "atypical femoral fractures" when using Fosamax® to prevent and treat osteoporosis.
  • R.J. Reynolds secures Florida Supreme Court victory on fraudulent concealment claimsJones Day successfully represented R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company before the Florida Supreme Court in an appeal concerning the reliance element of claims for fraudulent concealment and conspiracy to fraudulently conceal in Engle progeny cases.
  • R.J. Reynolds wins complete defense verdict in Massachusetts consumer fraud lawsuitOn March 17, 2022, a judge in Barnstable, Massachusetts issued a ruling that resulted in a complete defense victory for Jones Day client R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company in a smoking-and-health case.
  • R.J. Reynolds prevails in Florida Supreme Court appeal involving interpretation of punitive damages statuteJones Day successfully represented R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company before the Florida Supreme Court in an Engle progeny appeal presenting an issue concerning interpretation of Florida's punitive damages statute.
  • R.J. Reynolds wins complete defense verdict in Massachusetts wrongful death lawsuitOn November 17, 2021, following three and a half weeks of trial, a jury in state court in Lowell, Massachusetts returned a complete defense verdict in favor of Jones Day client, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, in a wrongful death case.
  • Merck resolves trade secret dispute involving vaccineJones Day represented Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp. as plaintiff in a trade secret lawsuit filed in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania against Pfizer Inc. and a former Merck employee.
  • R.J. Reynolds prevails in appeal of venue decision in Engle progeny lawsuitJones Day represented R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company in an Engle progeny wrongful death action brought by Tammy Frost, daughter of deceased smoker Billy Arant.
  • Additional Publications

    • December 20, 2016
      ATL Lawyer Who Led $2.548 Patent Win Had Never Tried an IP Case, Daily Journal (interviewed)
    • December 15, 2016
      Idenix Wins $2.5B Verdict In Gilead Hep C Drug Patent Fight, Law360 (interviewed)
    • May 2016
      Trial Pros: Jones Day's Stephanie Parker, Law360
    • January 2016
      Jury Clears RJR in $14M Row Over Pharmacy Tech's Death, Law360
    • November 2015
      Product Liability MVP: Jones Day's Stephanie Parker, Law360
    • August 2015
      Trial Aces: Jones Day's Stephanie Parker, Law360
    • April 2015
      How Top Product Liability Defenders Sway Jurors, Law360
    • November 2014
      Product Liability MVP: Jones Day's Stephanie Parker, Law360

    Additional Speaking Engagements

    • November 5, 2015
      Becoming First Chair, Defense Research Institute
    • September 5, 2014
      Class Actions, Georgia ICLE
    • September 18, 2009
      Trial Techniques
    • October 6, 2006
      Class Actions
    • November 11, 2005
      Successful Trial Practices - Cross Examination, Georgia ICLE
    • October 7, 2005
      Class Actions - Expert Witness Testimony at the Class Certification Hearing
    • October 14, 2004
      Class Actions - Product Liability, Georgia ICLE
    • August 7, 2004
      New Frontiers in Product Liability Litigation, American Bar Association Annual Meeting, Presidential CLE Program
    • June 11, 2004
      Cross Examination, Defense Research Institute
    • February 21, 2003
      Successful Trial Techniques, Georgia ICLE
    • December 13, 2002
      Trial Techniques in Product Liability Cases - New Ideas and Proven Strategies, Georgia ICLE
    • March 28, 2002
      Successful Trial Techniques, Georgia ICLE
    • November 1, 2001
      Professional and Ethical Dilemmas in Litigatiion, Georgia ICLE
    • December 7, 2000
      Nuts & Bolts of Product Liability Law, cochair, Georgia ICLE
    • June 9, 2000
      Ninth Annual Product Liability Seminar, chair, Georgia ICLE