Mr. Garde is a products liability litigator, with an emphasis on the national defense of pharmaceutical products liability litigation and the coordination of mass tort products liability litigation involving occupational exposures. He is also experienced in appellate practice in the state and federal courts.
Over more than twenty-five years of practice Mr. Garde has been part of the coordinating group managing litigations at the national, regional or local levels involving various pharmaceutical products including antidepressants, silicone gel breast implants, diabetes medications, anti-anxiety medications, hormone replacement therapy and polio vaccine. In addition to extensive case management responsibilities, Mr. Garde has responsibility for many pretrial and trial activities including the development of scientific and medical defenses, the selection and work-up of medical and scientific experts as well as the conduct of Dauberthearings.
In addition to pharmaceutical products liability litigation, Mr. Garde has also represented clients in insurance sales practices litigation, personal injury and property damage litigation involving toxic dumpsite exposure, silica personal injury litigation and asbestos personal injury litigation for a number of Fortune 500 clients. He has served as regional and New Jersey counsel for various corporations defending individual and mass tort claims. He has appeared frequently as appellate counsel before state and federal appellate tribunals in New Jersey, New York and elsewhere. He argued Dafler v. Raymark Industries, 259 N.J. Super. 17 (App. Div. 1992), affirmed 132 N.J. 96 (1993), which established a defendant's right to apportionment of liability between concurrent causes of disease in a toxic exposure case.
He regularly litigates issues involving general and specific scientific causation, causation in fact and deals extensively with issues in the defense of medical claims in products liability actions. He has extensive experience in the computerized management and coordination of discovery issues and document management. He regularly appears in state and federal courts in New Jersey and New York as well as many other jurisdictions.
Mr. Garde serves on a number of charitable boards and foundations and is currently President of the Trustees of the Episcopal Diocese of Newark responsible for the management and oversight of the Capital and Endowment Assets of the Diocese. He is one of the Chancellors of the Diocese. He serves as a member of the Board of Trustees of Chatham Day School and was previously a Trustee of St. Philip's Academy in Newark. Mr. Garde has lectured on issues involving the management and legal liabilities of not-for-profit institutions. Mr. Garde is a long standing member of a number of McCarter & English LLP firm standing committees including its Professional Personnel Committee responsible for the management of all aspects of the Firm's associates and paralegals. He also serves as a member of the District Ethics Committee for Essex County. Mr. Garde recently received the Distinguished Alumni Award for the Class of 1986 from William & Mary Law School.
Mr. Garde graduated Summa Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Drew University in 1983 and from the Law School of the College of William and Mary in 1986 where he was a member of the Law Review. He is a member of the New Jersey State, Essex County, Morris County and American Bar Associations and the Defense Research Institute. He is admitted to practice before the state and federal courts of New Jersey and before the United States Courts of Appeal for the Second, Third and Seventh Circuits.
Mr. Garde is recognized as a New Jersey Super Lawyer for 2011 and 2012.
Memberships & Affiliations
New Jersey State Bar Association
Essex County Bar Association
Morris County Bar Association
American Bar Association
Defense Research Institute
American Corporate Counsel Association
International Association of Defense Counsel
Speaking
02/27/12, Ethical Consideration in Protecting Privileged Documents and Confidential Information
John C. Garde
American Conference Institute Life Sciences Collaborative Agreements and Acquisitions (NYC)
12/06/11, Practical and Ethical Tools for Successful Mass Tort Litigation
John C. Garde
American Conference Institue's 16th Annual Drug and Medical Device Litigation
May 2011, Harris Martin New Jersey Asbestos Litigation Conference
John C. Garde
Conference Chair
July 21-22, 2010, Products Liability 101, Understanding the Expanding Theories of Liability and the Threat to Drug and Device Companies
John C. Garde
ACI Products Liability Boot Camp for the Life Sciences
May 2010, Recent Developments in New Jersey Law
John C. Garde
Harris Martin New Jersey Asbestos Litigation Conference
December 8-10, 2009, Strategies for Winning Cases
John C. Garde
ACI Drug & Medical Device Litigation Conference
July 2009, Trying a Pharmaceutical Products Liability Case
John C. Garde
ACI Drug & Medical Device on Trial