George C. Lombardi, Partner

George Lombardi is a litigation partner who concentrates his practice in patent, commercial, securities, commodities, and white-collar criminal cases.

Mr. Lombardi has extensive experience as lead trial attorney in jury and bench trials. He has tried cases in 11 federal and state jurisdictions across the country and appeared in cases in numerous other jurisdictions. He also has argued appeals in the Seventh, Second, and Federal Circuits and Illinois state courts.

Mr. Lombardi served as lead trial counsel for Barr in Eli Lilly v. Barr Laboratories—the “mother of all patent challenges,” according to Fortune magazine—which invalidated the patent covering the anti-depressant drug Prozac®, the world’s leading antidepressant with more than $2.6 billion in annual sales. He is currently representing Barr in several other patent challenge cases, an appeal before the Federal Circuit, and an antitrust class action. Mr. Lombardi also defended Staley in Ralston Purina v. A.E. Staley Manufacturing Company, which resulted in the invalidation of a milestone patent. He has handled and continues to handle various other patent cases involving medical instruments, pharmaceuticals, and telephone and computer technology.

Mr. Lombardi has secured numerous victories for client Philip Morris in its ongoing tobacco litigation cases. He served as lead trial counsel in Falise v. Philip Morris, an eight-week trial that helped stem a wave of suits by asbestos manufacturers against the tobacco industry, and as co-lead trial counsel in Iron Workers Local Union No. 17 Insurance Fund v. Philip Morris, which involved a $2 billion RICO claim brought by union trust funds against the tobacco industry and resulted in a jury verdict for the defense. In addition, he was second chair in State of Washington v. Philip Morris, the Washington state attorney general action that was being tried to a jury at the time the National State Attorney General Tobacco Settlement was reached in November of 1998.

Mr. Lombardi’s securities and commodities litigation experience includes the successful defense in a jury trial of a $30 million RICO claim arising out of a commodities transaction (Farmland Industries v. Frazier-Parrott Commodities), and the defense of a four-month securities fraud and RICO jury trial in which the client dismissed before verdict (In re American Continental Corporation/Lincoln Savings & Loan Securities Litigation).

Other significant trials include the successful defense of a sports agent accused of defrauding various universities (United States v. Bloom); the successful defense of criminal fraud claims (United States v. Commito); and the successful defense in a bench trial of a breach of contract case (Indianapolis Life v. Dominick’s Finer Foods). Mr. Lombardi also has represented clients such as Abbott Laboratories, Alcoa, Bell Atlantic/Verizon, First National Bank of Chicago, and Shearson Lehman Brothers in various types of cases.

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