When I buy cold medicine, I’m trusting it won’t hurt me. Pharmaceutical companies should be able to guarantee at least that much. When people are harmed because companies have cut corners to increase their profit margin, it makes me frustrated. It doesn’t have to be this way, it should be and can be done the right way to begin with. But when companies don’t, Weitz & Luxenberg is more than ready to take them on.”
Gianna Valente is a member of Weitz & Luxenberg’s dedicated legal team for Drug and Medical Devices. She is part of our litigation involving the contraceptive Depo-Provera. Weitz & Luxenberg was appointed to a leadership role in this litigation and is working hard on behalf of our clients.
“I’m excited to be part of Weitz & Luxenberg’s efforts to help our clients harmed by Depo-Provera. We’re in the early stages of litigation, and I’m thrilled to be involved from the ground up, to see where the process takes us,” says Ms. Valente.
“I’ve been interested in product liability and defective pharmaceuticals for some time. Being given the opportunity to work with Ellen Relkin and be part of her team is an incredible honor. Everyone here cares deeply about helping our clients achieve the best outcome possible,” Ms. Valente continues.
Always Fighting for the Underdog
“In law school, I realized I was a ‘bleeding heart’ type of person. One of my professors had an enormous impact on the kind of law I chose to pursue,” Ms. Valente adds.
“It was one of the first cases we learned in class. After discussing it, my professor had us consider: If you side with the plaintiff, you are likely a “bleeding heart.” If you side with the defendant, you are probably a ‘hard nose.’”
She points out, “After having experience on both plaintiff and defense sides while in law school, I realized my professor was right. I think it’s just the way my brain is wired. I then had the honor to serve as a teaching assistant for that torts professor. Torts is a civil wrong, and is the underpinning of our product liability and negligence cases.”
Offering Kindness and Compassion
“As a judicial intern for the New Jersey Superior Court, I learned a lot by watching the judge interact with all the parties involved. He oversaw the family docket, which handles child custody, divorce, and domestic abuse,” Ms. Valente continues.
“The lessons I learned stay with me. You’re dealing with delicate and highly emotional issues. You need to remember you are dealing with real people. Your decisions have an immediate and direct impact on people’s daily lives.”
She emphasizes, “You need to show kindness and compassion for everyone involved. We may be overseeing a litigation affecting hundreds, or even thousands, of people. But everything we do is about helping individual clients get the justice they deserve. We want them to be able to live their best life possible.”
Companies Need to Be Held Accountable
“The harm done to the countless women who have taken Depo-Provera has been catastrophic. Particularly when it comes to contraception, the average person has no other choice but to trust the companies providing the drug, insists Ms. Valente.
“The least these manufacturers can do is be honest and provide the safest drug possible. When they don’t, they must be held accountable.”
On the Personal Side
Ms. Valente is licensed to practice law in New Jersey. She earned her J.D. from Rutgers Law School in Newark, New Jersey. She achieved her B.A. in communications and journalism from the Newhouse School at Syracuse University in Syracuse, New York.
Outside the office, Ms. Valente enjoys reading, spending time with friends and family, and traveling. One of her most meaningful experiences was doing a study abroad in South Africa. She served as a legal aid and studied South African constitutional law in Cape Town and Johannesburg.
