Howard A. Janet

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

• 1996 - Present: Janet, Janet & Suggs, LLC (JJS): Founding and Managing Partner of law firm concentrating in representing plaintiffs in medical malpractice, dangerous pharmaceuticals, defective medical devices, and environmental litigation.
• 1989 - 1996: Janet and Strausberg, P.A.: Founding and Managing Partner of law firm concentrating in representing plaintiffs in medical malpractice litigation. (The late Gary Strausberg withdrew from the firm following his appointment to the Bench of Baltimore City’s Circuit Court.)
• 1979 - 1989: Snyder and Janet: Partner in plaintiffs’ firm concentrating in medical malpractice.

EDUCATION

• University of Baltimore School of Law, Baltimore, Maryland - J.D., cum laude, 1978
• University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland - B.S., May, 1976 (Kappa Tau Alpha Journalism Honor Society)

BAR ADMISSIONS

• Maryland Bar (1979) United States District Court for the District of Maryland (1979)
• Admitted pro hac vice in more than one dozen states and the District of Columbia.

SELECT VERDICTS AND SETTLEMENTS

• $190,000,000 Settlement: Jane Doe No. 1 et al. v. The Johns Hopkins Hospital, et al., Circuit Court for Baltimore City, Maryland. Class action settlement reached in the summer of 2014 on behalf of more than 8,000 women against Johns Hopkins Hospital. The lawsuit alleged that an OBGYN employed by the hospital secretly videotaped his patients’ pelvic exams. Reported to be highest single perpetrator sexual abuse recovery in US history. Co-lead counsel and vice-president of the plaintiffs’ steering committee.
• $95,000,000 Settlement: United States of America, ex. rel., Lynn E. Szymoniak v. American Home Mortgage Servicing, Inc., United States District Court, District of South Carolina, Rock Hill Division, 2010. Qui Tam action filed on behalf of a relator who blew the whistle on widespread mortgage foreclosure fraud. was jointly handled with Kenneth Suggs and two other firms.
• $24,250,000 Verdict: Lynteakia Beal, et al. v. District of Columbia, et al., Superior Court of the District of Columbia, 1996. Child developed cerebral palsy as a result of mismanagement of her airway in an emergency room. Largest medical malpractice verdict in the District at the time. Lead counsel.
• $17,500,000 Settlement, 2014: Birth injury resulting in cerebral palsy. Lead settlement counsel.
• $15,500,000 Verdict: Dhevyn Blackburn, et al. v. Aspen Medical Group, P.A., et al., District Court, Second Judicial District, Ramsey County, Minnesota, 2005. Birth injury that resulted in cerebral palsy. Largest verdict in Minnesota at the time. Lead counsel.
• $12,000,000 Verdict: Shirley Stokes, et al. v. Herbert L. Singleton, Jr., et al., Circuit Court for Baltimore City, Maryland, 1987. Legal malpractice case arising from a medical malpractice claim. Co-lead counsel.
• $9,500,000 Verdict: Brandon Vincent, et al. v. Allina Health System, et al., District Court, Tenth Judicial District, Anoka County, Minnesota, 2004. Largest medical malpractice verdict in Minnesota at the time. Lead counsel.

BOOKS AUTHORED

• Co-author, Patients’ Rights and Doctors’ Wrongs® – Secrets to a Safer Pregnancy and Childbirth, co-authored by board certified OBGYN, Giles H. Manley, M.D., J.D., 2015.
• Author, Quick Prep: Navigating a Medical Malpractice Lawsuit – What You Need to Know, 2014.
• Author of lead chapter, Inside the Minds: Representing Plaintiffs in Medical Malpractice Cases, 2013.

SIGNIFICANT APPELLATE DECISIONS

• Geisz et al. v. Greater Baltimore Medical Center, et al., 313 Md. 301, 545 A.2d 658 (MD Aug. 5 1988) (No. 131 Sept. Term 1987): Lengthened the statute of limitations for patients victimized by physicians who fraudulently concealed their negligence.
• The Johns Hopkins Hospital v. Travis Pepper, et al., 346 Md. 679, 697 A.2d 1358 (MD Aug. 22, 1997) (No. 108, Sept. Term 1996): Expanded the rights of minors to be compensated for their injuries.

SOCIETY MEMBERSHIPS

• Member, American Association for Justice
• Member, American Bar Association
• Member, The National Trial Lawyers
• Member, Maryland State Bar Association
• Member, Maryland Association for Justice
• Past Member of the Board of Governors
• Member, Trial Lawyers Association of Metropolitan D.C.
• Member, Baltimore County Bar Association

HONORS AND AWARDS

• The Best Lawyers in America® 2023 Lawyer of the Year – Medical Malpractice Law, Plaintiffs – Baltimore, MD
• Lawdragon, 500 Leading Plaintiff Consumer Lawyers – 2022-2023
• The National Trial Lawyers Top 25 – Medical Malpractice
• The National Trial Lawyers Top 25 – Class Action
• Maryland Association for Justice 2015 Trial Lawyer of the Year
• The Best Lawyers in America® 2018 Lawyer of the Year – Personal Injury Litigation, Plaintiffs – Baltimore, MD
• The Best Lawyers in America® 2015 Lawyer of the Year – Product Liability Litigation, Plaintiffs – Baltimore, MD
• The Best Lawyers in America® 2012 Lawyer of the Year – Personal Injury Litigation, Plaintiffs – Baltimore, MD Maryland Super Lawyers® 2007-2023
• The Best Lawyers in America®, Recognized since 2008 Martindale-Hubbell® AV® Preeminent™