Joe P. Leniski, Jr.

Mr. Leniski is a founding member of HSGLaW, and is Co-Chair of HSGLaW’s Complex Litigation Practice Group.  During his career, Mr. Leniski has litigated all manner of complex and class action matters, recovering millions on behalf of individual and institutional investors, purchasers, and consumers.  Mr. Leniski was Co-Lead Counsel in In re Wellbutrin XL Antitrust Litigation, an antitrust class action alleging that pharmaceutical companies colluded to illegally suppress a cheaper generic form of the blockbuster drug Wellbutrin XL from reaching the market, which ultimately resulted in a $11.5 million settlement for the class and garnered praise from the judge for “effectively and efficiently prosecut[ing] this difficult and complex action on behalf of the members of the Class.” Mr. Leniski also represented consumers in In re Volkswagen “Clean Diesel” MDL (nationwide class action which generated settlements worth over $11.2 billion); pensioners in In re Xcel Energy, Inc. ERISA Litigation (resulted in $8 million cash payment to the Plan for participants and lifted stock restrictions in the Plan with a value between $38 million and $94 million); and drug purchasers in In re Prograf Indirect Purchaser Litigation (resulted in class-wide settlement award of $13.25 million).

Mr. Leniski is also very active in litigation involving privacy rights under the federal Telephone Consumer Protection Act, on behalf of individuals with non-compete, non-solicitation agreements and workers facing all manner of workplace harassment and discrimination.  He also represents Union-side clients in NLRB and in collective bargaining matters, and advises employee pension and health funds and their trustees.  For their work on the Tennessee opioids litigation on behalf of cities and counties in Upper East Tennessee, Mr. Leniski and the members of his team were awarded the 2022 Outstanding Trial Lawyer of the Year Award from the Tennessee Trial Lawyers Association. 

Mr. Leniski graduated cum laude from the University of Notre Dame in 2000, and from Vanderbilt University Law School in 2003, where he served as president of the Vanderbilt Bar Association and received the Jordan A. Quick Memorial Award for Outstanding Leadership. He is also an Eagle Scout. Mr. Leniski is a member of the AFL-CIO Union Lawyers Alliance, served on the Tennessee Bar Association’s Committee to revise the Tennessee Business Corporations Act, and was named to Super Lawyers “Rising Star” list, Class Action Trial Lawyers Top 25, Mass Tort Trial Lawyers Top 25, and The National Trial Lawyers Top 100 for Civil Plaintiffs practice.