Jack Frost Jr.

Jack N. Frost, Jr. is an experienced litigator and trial attorney focusing on products, toxic tort and mass tort litigation. Handling a significant array of high-stakes litigation cases, Jack routinely serves as national, regional and local trial and litigation counsel, coordinating the defense of clients ranging from individuals and small, independently owned companies to some of the largest multinational corporations in the world, having tried as first and second chair several noteworthy matters on their behalf.

View the full bio for Jack Frost Jr. at the Faegre Drinker website.

Articles by Jack Frost Jr.:


Ninth Circuit Confirms That Winning Early Summary Judgment May Be the Ultimate Preemptive Tactic for Beating Class Certification

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The Ninth Circuit has confirmed that a lack of summary judgment evidence linking a product to concrete injury may properly halt a would-be class action in its tracks if a defendant preemptively moves for summary judgment before plaintiffs have the chance to move for class certification.

As we explored in an earlier post, the plaintiffs in Browning et al. v. Unilever United States Inc. represented a would-be class alleging that defendant Unilever failed to disclose that its St. Ives facial scrubs caused “micro-tears” of the skin. In early 2019, the United States District Court for the Central District of California granted summary judgment in favor of Unilever. The court held that the plaintiffs failed to establish the alleged micro-tears constituted a safety hazard, and found that causation was lacking because the plaintiffs presented no evidence that St. Ives — and not some “other products or lifestyle” choices — caused the complained-of skin conditions.

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Whether Asbestos-Containing Components Were Manufactured by Third Parties No Longer Matters in New Jersey

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Aligning with neighboring New York, and clearing up conflict within the Appellate Division, the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled equipment manufacturers can be held strictly liable on the basis of failure to warn for asbestos-containing component parts made or supplied by third parties. Whelan v. Armstrong Int’l, Inc., (N.J. 6/3/20).

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Biotin Supplement Suit Dismissed on Preemption Grounds

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A California federal judge tossed a proposed class action against allegedly “worthless” biotin dietary supplements on preemption grounds earlier this week, citing the Ninth Circuit’s recent decision in Dachauer v. NBTY, Inc., 913 F.2d 844 (9th Cir. 2019).

In Greenberg v. Target Corp., et al., the plaintiff filed a putative class action alleging that labeling for Target’s Up & Up brand of biotin dietary supplements was misleading under California’s Unfair Competition Law (UCL) and Consumer Legal Remedies Act (CLRA).

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The Early Bird Avoids the Class Action: Recent California Decision Reminds That Winning Summary Judgment Can Be the Ultimate Preemptive Tactic for Beating Class Certification

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Defendants faced with putative wide-reaching class action litigation are equipped with a variety of strategies for defeating class certification.  One potential silver bullet, however, expires early, and defendants must deploy it even before a class certification motion is filed in order to wield it effectively.  The United States District Court for the Central District of California’s recent decision granting summary judgment to Unilever United States, Inc. in a would-be class action concerning its St. Ives Apricot facial scrub underscores this strategy for (successfully) defeating class certification: Win the case on summary judgment first.

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New Jersey Reverses Course on Bare Metals Defense

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The New Jersey Appellate Division recently published an opinion significantly affecting asbestos litigation and defenses available to certain product manufacturers. In Whelan v. Armstrong International Inc., No. A-3520-13T4 (Aug. 6, 2018) the court changed the landscape related to the “bare metal defense,” breaking from prior law regarding the scope of a manufacturer’s liability for injuries caused by exposure to asbestos-containing components or replacement parts in their products supplied by third parties.

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