Jennifer K. Emmel

Jennifer joined Beasley Allen in 2013 and primarily focuses on social media cases consolidated in the California JCCP (Judicial Council Coordination Proceeding) in the Los Angeles Superior Court as well as in the multidistrict litigation (MDL) in the Califiornia federal court.  

She also works on cases consolidated in the MDL in New Jersey federal court involving the link between talcum powder and ovarian cancer, and cases involving kratom use and its association with acute liver injury, seizures, coma and other organ dysfunction.   

Education

Jennifer earned her undergraduate degree in biology, with a double minor in physics and chemistry, from the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire. She went on to obtain a Ph.D. from the University of South Carolina School of Medicine in biomedical science with a focus on molecular oncology. 

In graduate school, Jennifer won graduate research awards for oral presentation of research, first in neuroscience and later in molecular oncology. Her work earned her travel fellowships, and she was invited to present her research at international conferences in Paris and Mexico City. Subsequently, Jennifer spent two years in Boston with a consulting company specializing in due diligence, mergers and acquisitions. 

She earned her J.D. from Gonzaga University School of Law in 2009. While in law school, she interned at the Spokane County Prosecutor’s Office in the property, major crimes and domestic violence divisions and gained courtroom experience including serving as lead counsel on a multiple-felony trial. Jennifer then moved to northern Alabama and associated with a law firm, working in the areas of criminal and family law. 

She has taught college-level courses as an adjunct in biology, chemistry, medical terminology and anatomy. 

Licenses

• Alabama (2012)

Admissions

• U.S. District Court, Middle District of Alabama (2019)

Education

• Gonzaga University School of Law (J.D., 2009)
• University of South Carolina School of Medicine (Ph.D., 2004)
• University of Wisconsin (B.S., 1999)

Notable Cases

Social media cases are filed against social media companies Meta (Facebook and Instagram), Google (YouTube), TikTok, and Snapchat based on child and adolescent addiction to the platforms.  Social media addiction leads to harms such as depression, anxiety, eating disorders, self-harm and suicidality.  Children and adolescents are particularly vulnerable to addiction to the platforms because their brain does not fully developed until age 25, and certain aspects their design such as notifications, “pushes” and emojis keep them engaging with the platforms.   

The defendants in the New Jersey MDL are Johnson & Johnson and Imerys Talc America, Inc. Talc is a mineral ground to make talcum powder, the main ingredient of baby powder. Use of baby powder regularly in the female genital area increases the risk of ovarian cancer, as the talc particles can travel through the vagina, uterus and fallopian tubes to the ovaries. Johnson & Johnson has declined to provide warnings to consumers on their baby powder. Safer alternatives are available, such as a cornstarch-based powders, which have been widely sold by companies, including Johnson & Johnson, for many years. Four separate juries have awarded plaintiffs damages totaling more than $700 million.  In 2020, subsequent to years of litigation, Johnson & Johnson announced it would stop selling talc-based baby powder in the United States and Canada.   

Jennifer’s previous work focused on transvaginal mesh, which is used to treat conditions such as pelvic organ prolapse (POP) and stress urinary incontinence (SUI). These defective products cause conditions such as organ perforation, pain, infection, painful intercourse and urinary and fecal incontinence.