When I represent a client, I know I’m finding them at one of their most trying times. I attempt to put myself in their shoes. I do it so that I can fight for them, like I would for one of my own family members in the same situation.”
Joseph J. Mandia has joined Weitz & Luxenberg’s team of litigators in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. He comes to us with extensive experience. He specializes in complex plaintiff’s personal injury and toxic tort actions in both state and federal court. Mr. Mandia has an emphasis on representing people with mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases .
Fighting for People
Even before law school, Mr. Mandia knew he wanted to fight on behalf of people who have been wrongly harmed.
“I’m excited to be here,” says Mr. Mandia. “Weitz & Luxenberg has established itself as a leader in the field of asbestos litigation and has helped thousands of clients. For me, that’s the bottom line - wanting to help people. That’s what I want to do. Being a trial attorney on behalf of truly great people, who have fallen on incredibly difficult times, allows me to do just that.”
The passion and conviction that Mr. Mandia brings to each case translates into the level of detail necessary to prepare a client’s case, from beginning to end, for trial. It is this approach that makes Mr. Mandia a strong and zealous advocate on behalf of his clients.
Notable Wins for Clients
For almost a decade, Mr. Mandia has handled complex plaintiffs’ personal injury lawsuits in product liability and toxic tort matters. His responsibilities have included managing cases from start to finish in both state and federal court in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. He has briefed and argued before New Jersey’s Appellate Division.
His cases have primarily focused on exposures to asbestos, industrial talc, and consumer talcum powder products . He has also litigated cases involving vermiculite as well as respiratory protection worn by workers exposed to asbestos and industrial talc. He has experience in IVC (inferior vena cava) filter litigation, and is actively involved in the firm’s personal injury litigation related to Monsanto’s Roundup weed killer.
Mr. Mandia has successfully handled cases involving consumer talcum powder products, industrial talc products, joint compounds, and asbestos tiles. He has worked with clients who repaired boilers, brake mechanics, electricians, Navy personnel, plant maintenance workers, dredge operators, and telephone company workers, among many others.
Notably, Mr. Mandia was part of a trial team that achieved a jury verdict of $6.5 million in compensatory damages and $1 million in punitive damages. This was on behalf of a man who developed mesothelioma due to asbestos exposure from, in part, his work in the boiler industry.
In October 2021, Mr. Mandia played a key role in our clients being awarded a jury verdict totaling $27.4 million . The verdict was against Johnson & Johnson and Johnson & Johnson Consumer, Inc. Our client was a decades-long user of Johnson’s (R) Baby Powder. He applied it to himself, as well as to his children. The jury found the asbestos in the talc powder was a substantial factor in causing him to develop mesothelioma.
Clerkship and Legal Background
Mr. Mandia had the honor of serving as a judicial law clerk for Steven P. Perskie, J.S.C. in the Superior Court of New Jersey, Law and Chancery Divisions, Atlantic County, from September 2008 through September 2009.
He is licensed to practice law in New Jersey, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.
A New Jersey native, Mr. Mandia earned his J.D. from Rutgers University School of Law in Camden, New Jersey, after graduating from Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey.
On the Personal Side
Outside the office, Mr. Mandia loves spending time with his family. He is an avid runner who completed the New York City Marathon for charity in 2017.
He also guest lectured at John Jay College of Criminal Justice on issues involving criminal law and constitutional rights. He also enjoys art and music.
Presentations & Publications
•New Jersey Association for Justice Boardwalk Seminar, Treating Physicians, Summer 2021, featured presenter.
•New Jersey Association for Justice Meadowlands Seminar, Talc and Mesothelioma, Fall 2020, featured speaker.
•New Jersey Association for Justice Meadowlands Seminar, Ethics of Zoom Depositions, Fall 2020, speaker.
•New Jersey Asbestos Litigation Conference, Effectively Streamlining Complex Cases, Fall 2018, featured speaker.
