Dawn M. Chmielewski

Dawn Chmielewski is a native and lifelong resident of Cleveland, Ohio, a city famous for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Dawn was always fascinated by the law but followed her mother’s footsteps and went into the nursing field. She attended the University of Akron and received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing Degree in 1996. She later decided to combine her two passions when she realized she could use her nursing background to focus on the practice areas she’s most passionate about: pharmaceutical and medical device litigation. Dawn attended law school at Cleveland-Marshall College of Law, and while studying for her degree she worked full time as a nurse in the Emergency Department at Cleveland Clinic. Dawn graduated magna cum laude with her Juris Doctor in 2004.

Prior to her employment at the firm, Dawn worked as a registered nurse at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation for approximately eight years. She was also employed by Climaco, Wilcox, Peca, Tarantino & Garofoli, Co. LPA as the head of Climaco’s Department of Pharmaceuticals and Defective Medical Devices for almost ten years.

Dawn joined Neblett, Beard & Arsenault in 2013 and utilizes both her nursing and legal backgrounds to fight for justice for her clients. Dawn was an active member of the Actos (Pioglitazone) Products Liability Litigation (MDL 2299) trial team, which resulted in a $9,001,475,000.00 unanimous verdict. She was also an active member of the Pinnacle Hip Implant Products Liability Litigation in Dallas, TX (MDL 2244) trial team. Dawn participated in four multi-plaintiff bellwether trials in the DePuy Pinnacle MDL, which resulted in jury verdicts totaling more than $1.75 billion.

Not surprisingly, Dawn stated that if she weren’t an attorney, she would be a nurse! When she’s not practicing law, Dawn enjoys reading, traveling, and cheering on her favorite teams – Ohio State football, and every Cleveland sports team.

Jurisdictions Admitted to Practice

Ohio – All State Courts
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit

Relevant Experience in Complex Cases

In re: Actos (Pioglitazone) Product Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2299, Western District of Louisiana
In re Mirena IUD Products Liability Litigation, MDL 2434, Southern District of New York
In re: DePuy Orthopaedics, Inc., Pinnacle Hip Implant Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2244, Northern District of Texas
In re Pradaxa (Dabigatran Etexilate) Products Liability Litigation, MDL 2385, Southern District of Illinois
Fosamax Product Liability Litigation, Consolidated Case No. 282 Superior Court of New Jersey Law Division: Atlantic City
In Re: Guidant Corp. Implantable Defibrillators Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 1708, District of Minnesota
In re: Vioxx Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 1657, Eastern District of Louisiana
In re: Serzone Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 1477, Northern District of Ohio
In re: Welding Fume Products Liability Litigation, MDL 1535, Northern District of Ohio
In re: Oral Sodium Phosphate Solution Based Product Liability Litigation, MDL 2066 Northern District of Ohio
In re Bextra & Celebrex Marketing Sales Practices and Products Liability Litigation, MDL 1699 Northern District of California
In re: Digitek Products Liability Litigation, MDL 1968 Southern District of West Virginia
In re: Propulsid Products Liability Litigation MDL 1355 Eastern District of Louisiana

Reported Cases

Boyd v. Lincoln Electric Co. 179 Ohio App.3d 559 (Ohio App. 8 Dist. 2008)
Tamraz v. Lincoln Elec. Co. 620 F.3d 665 (6th Cir. 2010)

Speaking Engagements

Darvocet: The Science, January 14, 2011, New Orleans, LA
The Science of Darvon and Darvocet, March 29, 2011, San Diego, CA
Actos: Recent Studies and Regulatory Actions, September 8, 2011, AAJ Teleseminar
Actos: Litigation Status, January 25, 2012, Miami, FL
Pradaxa: Where is this Litigation Headed?, July 25, 2012, Cleveland, OH
Actos Science, July 28, 2012, AAJ Summer Convention, Chicago, IL
Mirena IUD, November 28, 2012, Dallas, TX
Mirena: Status of the Litigation, February 5, 2013, AAJ Teleseminar
Mirena: Science and Case Selection, March 20, 2013, San Diego, CA
Preparing your Expert Witness, November 21, 2014, New Orleans, LA, LSBA 14th Annual Complex Litigation Symposium
Intersection of Science and the Law, November 13, 2015, New Orleans, LA, 15th Annual Complex Litigation Symposium
Complex Litigation Gumbo, Moderator, May 25, 2016, Chicago, IL
MDL Steering Committee Appointments; Structure and Leadership; What’s the Plan B? – MDL Alternatives, November 11, 2016, New Orleans, LA, LSBA 16th Annual Complex Litigation Symposium
Preemption, November 10, 2017, New Orleans, LA, LSBA 17th Annual Complex Litigation Symposium
Framing Jury Themes for Women’s Health Litigation, May 30, 2018, Chicago, IL
Special Masters Managing Mass Torts, September 25, 2018, Napa, California
Rapid Fire Mass Tort Landscape Updates I: Hips, May 29, 2019, New Orleans, LA
Managing MDLs Along With Its Chaos, November 8, 2019, New Orleans, LA, LSBA 19th Annual Complex Litigation Symposium
Alternative Dispute Resolution: “When to Hold Them, When to Fold Them” Mediation Strategies, September 17, 2021, LSBA Virtual 28th Annual Admiralty Symposium
Complex Litigation Witnesses, November 5, 2021, New Orleans, LA, LSBA 21st Annual Complex Litigation Symposium
Resolution Strategy, January 11, 2022, Baylor Law LL.M. in Litigation Management Seminar
Best Practices for Alternative Dispute Resolution, September 16, 2022, New Orleans, LA, LSBA 29^th Annual Admiralty Symposium
Assessing the Viability of a Mass Tort Litigation and Navigating Bankruptcy, March 14, 2023, San Diego, CA, 5^th Annual Western Alliance Bank Class Action Law Forum in Collaboration with University of San Diego School of Law
Anticipating and Dealing with Bankruptcy, May 24, 2023, Philadelphia, PA, Harris Martin’s MDL Conference: Updates and Challenges Facing Current High Stakes Mass Tort Litigation
The Bankruptcy Option in the Mass Tort Landscape, November 10, 2023, New Orleans, LA, LSBA 23^rd Annual Complex Litigation Symposium
Artificial Intelligence in the Mass Tort Space and the Associated Ethical Obligations, March 14, 2024, San Diego, CA, 6^th Annual Western Alliance Bank Class Action Law Forum in Collaboration with University of San Diego School of Law