Biography

Anthony J. Anscombe concentrates in complex and class action litigation involving a wide variety of substantive areas and industries. He has defended class action matters across the country, with an emphasis on matters involving consumer fraud, deceptive trade practices, warranty, mass tort and statutory claims. He possesses extensive experience in all aspects of class action defense, including crisis management, initial motion practice, positioning cases for opposition to certification, preparing experts, defeating certification, dispositive motion practice, trial strategy and the intricacies of class settlement. 

Mr. Anscombe devotes a substantial portion of his practice to commercial litigation and counseling. Substantive areas include antitrust, unfair competition, consumer fraud/deceptive trade practices, sales, advertising compliance, distributorship agreements, business ethics and contract disputes. He has worked with clients to develop compliance programs for a variety of business practices and has conducted internal investigations. He has also defended several clients in actions filed under the Federal Fair Credit Reporting Act and the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.

Mr. Anscombe has extensive experience in product and toxic tort litigation involving pharmaceuticals, medical devices, food products, botanicals, consumer products, industrial chemicals, environmental contamination, automotive products and machinery. He has been a key member of several MDL teams, and has successfully defended several 100+-plaintiff lawsuits arising out of industrial accidents or environmental exposures and employed a number of innovative case management strategies to streamline the cases, eliminate "me-too" plaintiffs and reach favorable outcomes.  

On behalf of his pharmaceutical and other life science clients, he has developed a deep understanding of the regulatory and public relations environments in which his clients do business and the need for defense strategies that mirror his clients' public image and corporate mission. Mr. Anscombe has used his litigation experience and knowledge of these industries to counsel clients on risk management, litigation trends, regulatory compliance, crisis management and pre-litigation dispute resolution.

Mr. Anscombe's environmental experience includes litigating and counseling clients on claims arising under CERCLA, RCRA and parallel state acts; counseling clients on UST matters; negotiating settlements with state agencies; working with experts to develop cost-effective remediation plans; and litigating numerous toxic tort matters with associated issues of regulatory compliance and environmental injury.

Presentations & Publications

Mr. Anscombe's presentations and publications include:

• “Navigating Ethical Gray Areas in Class Action Litigation,” ACI Defense Counsel Summit on Positioning the Class Action Defense for Early Success, Scottsdale, AZ (October 27, 2008).

• "N.J. Supreme Court Dismisses Vioxx Medical Monitoring Claims in Putative Class Action," Sedgwick’s News Flash (June 2008) (coauthor).

• "An Ounce of Prevention: Arbitration Agreements and Class Action Waivers," and "Defeating Presumptions of Reliance," Class Action Task Force CLE Seminar, Chicago, IL (May 22, 2008).

• "The Final Pretrial Hearing," 90 Days Before Trial: The Final Countdown, Chicago Bar Association (October 24, 2007); accompanying articles: "90 Days Before Trial: Part 1," (October 2007) and "90 Days Before Trial: Part 2," (January 2008), Chicago Bar Association Record.

• "N.J. Supreme Court Overturns Third-Party Payor Certification in Consumer Fraud Action," Sedgwick's News Flash (September 2007) (coauthor).

• "Illinois High Court Refines State Action Jurisprudence," Legal Backgrounder , Vol. 22, No. 8, Washington Legal Foundation (March 9, 2007).

• "The Final Pretrial Hearing," 90 Days Before Trial: The Final Countdown, Chicago Bar Association (September 27, 2006).

• "Special Strategies for Section 17200 Consumer Finance Actions," 4th National Advanced Guide to Consumer Finance Litigation and Actions, American Conference Institute (April 7, 2005).

• "Class Action Fairness Act Changes Litigation Landscape," Sedgwick's Sidebar (March 2005).

• "Resolving Mold Claims: Practical Approaches to Settling, Mediating, and Minimizing Exposure," moderator, Sterling Educational Services (June 9, 2004).

• "Regulating Botanicals in Food," Food Technology (January 2003).

Memberships & Honors

Mr. Anscombe is a member of the board of directors of the Center for Conflict Resolution (CCR), a leading nonprofit resource for mediation services and conflict management training. He has been recognized in peer-reviewed listings of preeminent lawyers. Before relocating to Chicago, Mr. Anscombe spent 11 years as a litigator in the firm's San Francisco office.

He is a member of the Defense Research Institute, the Illinois State Bar Association and the Chicago Bar Association.

While in law school, Mr. Anscombe was notes editor for the Virginia Journal of Natural Resources Law .