Howard Janet

JJS Founder and longtime Managing Partner, Howard Alan Janet, passed away on September 18, 2025 due to complications from surgery. He was 70.

In a career spanning nearly five decades, Mr. Janet led Janet, Janet & Suggs, his nationally acclaimed law firm, in securing justice and billions of dollars in life-changing compensation for his clients. Long considered one of the top lawyers in the country for medical malpractice, birth injury, and sexual abuse, he was the recipient of numerous professional awards and accolades.

Outside of the courtroom, he harnessed that same determination to serve others. He founded the Cerebral Palsy Family Network, which supports families seeking resources and information to help their children with cerebral palsy, and contributed to and worked for several Jewish charities.

Among many other statements made about Mr. Janet in the wake of his untimely death, the Maryland Bar Association noted, “Howard A. Janet will be remembered for his courage, his generosity, and his unwavering dedication to his clients and his community.”

$842.4 million sexual abuse settlement against the University of Southern California

$190 million sexual abuse class action settlement against The Johns Hopkins Hospital

$225 million settlement in appointment as special counsel for the State of New Jersey in New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection v. Exxon Mobil Corporation Hundreds of millions of dollars in verdicts and settlements in birth injury cases that caused cerebral palsy

$95 million whistleblower settlement on widespread mortgage foreclosure fraud

$24 Million verdict in failure to diagnose in medical malpractice case Confidential settlement Victim 6 in the Sandusky/Penn State scandal

NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED FOR FINDING REAL JUSTICE FOR VICTIMS

All told, Howard A. Janet, Esq. and his firm have won over three billion dollars in verdicts and settlements for their clients. But Mr. Janet always said it was not the amount of money he obtained for his clients that was the true measure of success, but rather what the money could do – ensure peace of mind and dramatically improve the quality of life for his clients.

Mr. Janet’s efforts on behalf of clients extended beyond the trial court level. His appellate victories lengthened the statute of limitations for patients victimized by fraudulent physicians and expanded the rights of children to be compensated for their injuries.

AN ADVOCATE FOR SURVIVORS OF SEXUAL ABUSE

Over a storied career, Mr. Janet helped thousands of women navigate the civil justice system to hold sexual predators and the powerful institutions that enable them accountable. Some of the worst institutional offenders in the sexual abuse of women have been hospitals and universities that have enabled male OBGYN physicians and employees to prey on their patients.

His high profile sexual abuse cases included:

$842.4 million sexual abuse class action settlement against the University of Southern California; $190 million settlement against Johns Hopkins Hospital; A confidential settlement on behalf of Victim 6 in litigation against Penn State University for turning a blind eye to the serial sexual abuse of young boys by former football assistant coach Jerry Sandusky; and Representation of victims in claims against the Catholic Church for enabling predator priests to abuse them when they were young.

MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN BIRTH INJURY AND OTHER MEDICAL MALPRACTICE CASES

Mr. Janet was recognized as one of the nation’s preeminent medical malpractice attorneys, widely known for his vigorous, meticulous, and passionate representation of children who developed cerebral palsy (CP) as the result of preventable birth injuries.

More than 30,000 families consulted Mr. Janet about potential cerebral palsy cases. He and his firm Janet, Janet & Suggs achieved a proven record of identifying cases in which avoidable medical errors led to children’s CP. When he was sufficiently confident a birth injury or other medical malpractice case had merit, Mr. Janet tirelessly sought the full measure of justice the case demanded.

That tenacity, along with a tremendous body of accumulated knowledge and exceptional trial skills, produced an extraordinary string of precedent-setting results for Mr. Janet’s clients, both in the courtroom and at the settlement table. In Minnesota, he broke the record twice for the largest birth injury award handed down by a jury. In Washington D.C., his verdict in a cerebral palsy case more than doubled the highest jury award in any previous medical malpractice action.

FOUNDING A MAJOR CEREBRAL PALSY ORGANIZATION

Mr. Janet’s commitment to helping children with cerebral palsy, regardless of the cause, inspired him to help found and provide ongoing support for the Cerebral Palsy Family Network, an organization that provides extensive services to families of children diagnosed with CP.

BOOKS

Patients’ Rights and Doctors’ Wrongs – Secrets to a Safer Pregnancy and Childbirth Patients’ Rights and Doctors’ Wrongs enables expectant mothers to take an informed, proactive role in their obstetrical care so they can obtain quality services. Using real stories, the authors provide indispensable information and advice.

Navigating a Medical Malpractice Lawsuit Navigating a Medical Malpractice Lawsuit is the ultimate resource for anyone who has been victimized by medical practice. This easy to read and understand book explains how to bring and successfully resolve a medical malpractice case.

Representing Plaintiffs in Medical Malpractice Cases

Representing Plaintiffs in Medical Malpractice Cases provides an authoritative, insider's perspective on mounting an effective medical malpractice case.

The Daily Record/Maryland State Bar Association 2025 Leaders in Law — Lifetime Achievement Honoree; The Best Lawyers in America® 2023 Lawyer of the Year – Medical Malpractice Law, Plaintiffs – Baltimore, MD; Lawdragon, 500 Leading Plaintiff Consumer Lawyers – 2022-2024; The National Trial Lawyers Top 25 – Medical Malpractice; The National Trial Lawyers Top 25 – Class Action; The National Trial Lawyers Top 100 – Civil Plaintiff; Maryland Association for Justice 2015 Trial Lawyer of the Year; The Best Lawyers in America® 2018 Lawyer of the Year – Personal Injury Litigation, Plaintiffs – Baltimore, MD; The Best Lawyers in America® 2015 Lawyer of the Year – Product Liability Litigation, Plaintiffs – Baltimore, MD; The Best Lawyers in America® 2012 Lawyer of the Year – Personal Injury Litigation, Plaintiffs – Baltimore, MD; Maryland Super Lawyers® 2007-2024 The Best Lawyers in America®, Recognized since 2008 Martindale-Hubbell® AV® Preeminent™