Jennifer Yuen

Partner

Jennifer.Yuen@lewisbrisbois.com

Jennifer is a Partner in the New York office. She represents clients pre-suit through litigation, mediation and trial. 

She represents individual and institutional clients in complex and high exposure claims in the areas of medical malpractice, construction, products liability, toxic torts and environmental litigation and general liability, with particular experience handling matters involving catastrophic injuries and serious medical conditions. She has been selected by Super Lawyers for her work in Medical Malpractice and Products Liability Litigation.

Since 2007, Jennifer’s primary practice has focused on the representation of medical professionals, hospitals, and healthcare facilities. She manages a medical malpractice defense team in the firm's NYC office and represents the nation's largest physician-led physician management companies and its employed physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, specializing in emergency medicine, hospitalist, diagnostic radiology, and acute, urgent, and critical care medicine and services. She also represents the nation’s largest municipal health care delivery system.

Jennifer has served as lead defense and trial counsel on high-profile cases involving medical malpractice, pathogenic bacteria disease outbreaks (legionella, salmonella, and listeria), opioid litigation, environmental contamination, and toxic exposures (occupational and residential lead, mold, and silica exposure; and petroleum / ethanol soil and groundwater pollution), pharmaceutical products liability, foodborne illness and large-scale fires, explosions, and construction accidents.

She also has particular expertise handling mass tort and multi-district litigations, large scale governmental investigations and federal and state regulatory/compliance matters involving HIPAA, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), New York State and New York City Departments of Health and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

An experienced litigator in federal and state courts, she has represented domestic and foreign, private and public sector clients, including: 

  • Physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, mental health providers, nurses, dentists, and pharmacists 
  • Hospitals, outpatient facilities, health care systems, physician management companies, nursing & assisted living facilities and long-term care providers 
  • NYC Health + Hospitals
  • The City of New York and Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA)
  • Food Service Providers 
  • Hotel Chains and Resorts
  • Supermarket and Pharmacy Store Chains
  • Sports, Entertainment & Performance Venues/Stadiums
  • Facilities Management Companies 
  • HVAC & Plumbing Companies
  • Construction Firms, Managers and Contractors 
  • Commercial and Residential Property Owners and Building Management Companies
  • Manufacturers of Pharmaceutical, Medical, Construction, Consumer and Industrial Products 
  • Consumer Product Retailers and Franchises
  • Major Airlines
  • Commercial and Residential Restoration Service Providers
  • Oil, Gas and Energy Companies
  • Insurance Companies

Prior to joining Lewis Brisbois, Jennifer was an attorney at two prominent New York law firms, where she defended healthcare professionals and product manufacturers in complex litigation. She also served as Law Clerk to The Honorable Alexander W. Hunter, Jr., Appellate Term Justice of the Supreme Court of the State of New York, Twelfth Judicial District, First Department. Before beginning her legal career, she worked as a patient liaison and interpreter at two major New York City hospitals. Jennifer is also a licensed New York State Real Estate Broker. 

Jennifer is committed to staying knowledgeable of advancements and evolving regulations impacting healthcare, product, and workplace liability and safety, and she regularly presents at educational and risk management programs. She values building strong relationships with her clients by providing them with aggressive, effective, creative, compassionate, and efficient legal representation. 

Jennifer speaks Chinese (Cantonese) and Spanish.

Primary Area(s) of Practice

  • Medical Malpractice
  • Healthcare
  • Products Liability
  • Toxic Tort & Environmental Litigation
  • Construction
  • General Liability
  • Long-Term Care

Additional Experience

Admissions

New York

United States District Court, Eastern District of New York

United States District Court, Southern DIstrict of New York

Associations

  • The Association for Healthcare Risk Management of New York (AHRMNY)
  • New York County Lawyers’ Association (Committees: Health Law, Construction Law, Tort Law Section)
  • New York State Academy of Trial Lawyers

Awards & Honors

  • Selected to Super Lawyers New York Metro Rising Stars List – Medical Malpractice Defense Litigation (2018)
  • Selected to Super Lawyers New York Metro Rising Stars List – Product Liability Defense Litigation (2017)

Professional Presentations

  • Presentation on Medical Documentation Best Practices, Risk Management and Medical Malpractice Litigation to Emergency Medicine Physicians and Medical Residents, Emergency Medicine Education Program at St. Barnabas Hospital, July 2022
  • Lecture Series on Risk Management and Medical Malpractice Litigation to Emergency Medicine Physicians and Medical Residents at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 2019–Present
  • Big Nasty Claims Conference held at New York Law School – Loss Issues & Trends: Setting the Stage – The increasing frequency, severity, and complexity of mass torts, multidistrict litigation, and class actions; and the keys to success in managing these claims. (Panelist), September 2018
  • CLE – The Impact of the Affordable Care Act on Construction/Labor Law/General Liability Litigation, 2014
  • CLE – The Impact of the Affordable Care Act on Medical Malpractice Litigation, 2014
  • CLE – Electronic Discovery and Best Practices, 2012

Education

Pace University School of Law

Juris Doctor

Columbia College of Columbia University in The City of New York

Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Economics

Recent Victories and Significant Litigation 

  • Summary judgment victory on behalf of a Pediatric Emergency Medicine Physician and a prominent NY hospital’s Emergency Medicine Services Contractor in a medical malpractice case involving alleged failure to diagnose and treat necrotizing fasciitis (Westchester County Supreme Court, 2022)
  • Dismissal of all claims pursuant to motion on behalf of an Emergency Medicine Physician and a prominent NY hospital’s Emergency Medicine Services Contractor in a medical malpractice case involving alleged failure to diagnose and treat a post-traumatic spinal injury resulting in quadriplegia (Bronx County Supreme Court, 2022)
  • Summary judgment victory on behalf of an Emergency Department Physician Assistant and a prominent NY hospital’s Emergency Medicine Services Contractor in a medical malpractice case involving alleged failure to diagnose and treat breast cancer (New York County Supreme Court, 2021)
  • Dismissal of all claims against an Attending Radiologist at a prominent NY hospital in a medical malpractice case involving alleged failure to diagnose arterial occlusion resulting in partial foot amputation (Suffolk County Supreme Court, 2021)
  • Dismissal of all claims against the MTA pursuant to motion in a Labor Law / Construction case involving alleged Lead Paint Exposure resulting in lung cancer and other permanent injuries (New York County Supreme Court 2019)
  • South Bronx Legionnaires Disease Outbreak Mass Tort Litigation – Lead Defense and Trial Counsel in 60+ products liability, breach of contract and general lability actions resulting in personal injuries and fatalities arising from NYC’s largest Legionnaires Disease Outbreak; all cases dismissed by motion or favorably resolved/settled (Bronx Supreme Court Mass Tort Litigation, 2021)
  • In re: Opioid Litigation –Defense Counsel in Mass tort litigation and class action litigations alleging deceptive acts and practices, false advertising, public nuisance, fraud, unjust enrichment, and violations of law arising from alleged negligent manufacturing, promotion, distribution, and sales of opioids contributing to the opioid epidemic, 2020)
  • In Re: Steam Pipe Explosion at 41st Street and Lexington Avenue – Lead Defense Counsel in mass tort litigation involving 200+ personal injury and property damage claims arising from 2007 Con Edison steam pipe explosion in New York City (New York County Supreme Court, 2019)
  • Stolowski v. 234th East 178th Street and The City of New York – Second Chair Trial Counsel in catastrophic injury and wrongful death cases arising from the “Black Sunday” tragedy involving six New York City Firefighters (Bronx Country Supreme Court, 2016) 
  • Listeria Outbreak Litigation – Local Defense and Trial Counsel in numerous products liability and negligence actions resulting in personal injuries and fatalities from patient exposures and food contamination arising from listeria contamination at prominent NY hospital; all cases favorably resolved/settled (New York County Supreme Court, Kings County Supreme Court, U.S. District Court in the Southern District of New York, 2016) 
  • Summary judgment victory on behalf of an Attending Psychiatrist and a prominent New York City hospital in a medical malpractice case involving alleged negligent prescription of psychotropic medications and failure to properly diagnose and monitor a mentally ill patient resulting in Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome and death (Kings County Supreme Court, 2012)
  • In re: Fleet Phosphosoda® Multi-District Litigation – Local Defense and Science Counsel in 500+ OTC pharmaceutical products liability cases involving alleged acute and chronic renal failure and fatalities arising from the use of oral sodium phosphate solution-based products in preparation for colonoscopy (U.S. District Court in the Northern District of Ohio, 2011)
  • In re: Levaquin® Litigation – Obtained court-ordered dismissals based on plaintiffs’ failure to produce threshold evidence of expert support and causation, of multiple pharmaceutical products liability cases involving alleged joint ruptures from use of prescription antibiotics (U.S. District Courts in the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York, 2010) 
  • In re: Bausch & Lomb Contact Lens Solution (Renu with MoistureLoc®) Multi-District Litigation – Local Defense and Science Counsel in 500+ pharmaceutical products liability cases involving alleged serious ocular infections (U.S. District Court, D. South Carolina, 2010) 

Published Opinions

Gaona-Garcia v. Gould (Decision and Order), 2011 NY Slip Op 51028(U), New York Law Journal June 15, 2011 (Decided on May 23, 2011 Supreme Court, Bronx County Alexander Hunter Jr., J.).

Publications

  • Limited Justice: A Call for the New York State Legislature to Implement Exceptions to the Statute of Limitations in Civil Cases Involving Childhood Sexual Abuse (Westchester Bar Journal 2007).
  • Law Practice Management, Co-editor (Gary A. Munneke/Thomson West. 3d ed. 2007).

Certifications

  • New York State Real Estate Broker
  • OSHA-10 (U.S. Department of Labor - Occupational Safety and Health Administration)
  • MTA NYC Transit Track Safety Certification
  • Metro-North Railroad Runway Worker Procedures
  • Roadway Worker Protection Training (required by 49 CFR Part 214 Subpart C)
  • New York State Notary Public