Anthony Coveny

• State Bar of Texas, 2007 – present
• Southern & Northern Districts of Texas, 2010 – present

Academics.

University of Houston, Houston, Texas

2007, J.D., Magna cum laude

• Order of the Baron

• Order of the Coif

• Publications & Marketing Editor, Houston Law Review

University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico

2002, Ph.D. Political Science

University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico

2007, M.A. in Latin American Studies

Seattle Pacific University, Seattle, Washington

1994, B.A in History/Political Science

Law Clerk, Fourteenth Court of Appeals, Texas, Justice William Boyce and Senior Justice Richard Edelman (2007-‘08 Term).

Simon & Luke, L.L.P., Houston, Texas (2011-Present)

Litigation of products liability, toxic release, food poisoning, and catastrophic personal injury claims.  Conducted complex discovery, successfully wrote and responded to numerous motions to compel, motions for sanctions, summary judgment motions, venue and jurisdictional motions, prepared dozens of expert witnesses, defended and asserted Daubert challenges, prepared motions in limine, and prepared cases for mediation and/or trial.  For example:

• Represented plaintiffs in products liability cases involving major auto and automobile tire manufacturers, including Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) and Bridgestone/Firestone North American Tire, engaging in bitter discovery battles in each and drafting and arguing numerous motions to compel (successfully doing so at least eight times against TMC alone in litigation in Baltimore City in 2012). Conducting depositions and preparing experts in each case, while defending experts/expert testimony from being stricken or limited for use at trial.
• Represented thousands of plaintiffs in national outbreaks of Hepatitis, E. coli, Salmonella, Listeria, and other pathogens against a wide array of corporate defendants, including Taylor Farms, Schnuck Markets, Inc., Townsend Farms Inc., Moon Marine U.S.A., and United Juice Corp., as well as individual restaurants and retailers. Drafted petitions, discovery, engaged in motion litigation, conducted hearings, depositions, and prepared cases for mediation or trial.
• Represented several hundred plaintiffs in toxic release actions in both state and federal court against such defendants as BP Products North American Inc. and Air Products LLC. Successfully defended against Lone Pine Order, summary judgment, venue and jurisdictional challenges.
• Represented plaintiffs in catastrophic personal injury cases, including cases involving injury in Latin America nations with domestic and international defendants. This included a recent injury accident in Nicaragua that was litigated in US Federal Court in the Eastern District of California, and where most of the discovery, investigation, and depositions took place in Nicaragua.

Sanford PLLC, Houston, Texas (2008-2011)

Litigation of pharmaceutical products liability. Conducted complex discovery, depositions, significant motion writing, document review, and claim assessment, presentation and augmentation, for a number of major MDLs.  For example:

• In re Vioxx Products Liability Litigation, MDL-1657: Represented 403 plaintiffs in pharmaceutical litigation, conducted extensive motion and discovery writing for plaintiff’s steering committee (PSC). Leading role in drafting response to federal preemption summary judgment. Oversaw all document review, claims packet submission, and handled all appeals. Wrote and presented all submissions for extraordinary injury fund.
• In re Fosamax Products Liability Litigation, MDL 2243: Represented dozens of plaintiffs in pharmaceutical litigation linked to Fosamax, conducted extensive motion and discovery writing for PSC. Helped develop, and subsequently oversaw, the national document repository, and assigned all document review to battery of attorneys for MDL PSC.
• In re Digitek Products Liability Litigation, MDL 1968: Represented plaintiffs in pharmaceutical litigation linked to Digitek, conducted depositions, including corporate representative 30(b)(6) deposition, and wrote numerous motions and discovery motions as part of the plaintiff’s steering committee.

Prior Work Experience.

Professor and Instructor, Vanderbilt, Belmont and Prairie View A & M Universities (1999-2007)

Taught courses in Legal research and writing, Statistical Analysis, Civil Rights (42 U.S. Code § 1983), Latin American and U.S. Government, among others. Numerous presentations, conferences, lectures, and professional writing.

• Texas Monthly “Rising Star” (2014)

• Houston Bar Associatio

• Commentator/guest local news organizations, including:
  • Channel 2 News, Click2Houston, Houston, Texas, 2013
  • FOX NEWS, Nashville Affiliate, and WSMV Channel Four News, Election Cycle 2002.
  • Guest on National Public Radio’s Weekend Edition concerning Hispanic vote (1998).
  • Guest on National Public Radio’s Which Way LA, with Ralph Nader, to debate the efficacy of the Green Party (1998).

Select Publications:

“Executive Activism not Reciprocated with Judicial Activism:  Wyeth v. Levine and Cuomo v. Clearing House Return Preemption to the Legislative Branch,” 22:3, Spring 2010, St. Thomas Law Review.

“Preemption Protects Pharmaceutical Manufacturers While Leaving Health Care Professionals Exposed to Liability:  The Supreme Court Considers Wyeth v. Levine.” Journal of Nursing Law; Vol. 12/Issue 4.  Spring 2009.

“Judicial Activism on the Rehnquist Court:  An Empirical Analysis.” 2008, St. John’s Journal of Legal Commentary:  with David Dow and Cassandra Chou. 23:1, 2008.  Anthony C. Coveny, Ph.D. provided statistical analysis and presentation of findings.

“When the Immovable Object Meets the Unstoppable Force: Search and Seizure in the Age of Terrorism,” 31 American Journal of Trial Advocacy, 329, 384 (2007), (frequently referenced, including extensive citation of innovative econometric formula in Duke Law Journal, 59:5, p847, 2010).

“Saying Goodbye to Texas’ Homestead Protection:  One Step Toward Economic Efficiency With The Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Act of 2005.” Houston Law Review, 2007.

Literacy and Homelessness Committees 2008-2011.

Sponsor of Annual Mock Trial at Prairie View A & M University, 2006-2008, hosted by the Honorable Vanessa Gilmore.

Co-Director: Pre Law Initiative for Minority Students, 2004-2006.