Michelle A. Ramirez

Representative matters include:

• Co-lead trial lawyer for Monsanto in a five-week product liability trial in Missouri state court involving allegations that Monsanto’s weedkiller, Roundup, caused the plaintiff’s cancer.
• Trial lawyer for Monsanto in securing a complete defense jury verdict in a product liability trial in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas after a four-week trial involving allegations that Monsanto’s weedkiller, Roundup, caused the plaintiff’s cancer.
• Member of the trial team for Roundup herbicide manufacturer Monsanto in product liability trial in California’s Sonoma County Superior Court. Obtained mid-trial dismissal of all claims that Roundup was linked to the Plaintiffs’ injuries.
• National and trial counsel for a pharmaceutical company in product liability and consumer class actions in state and federal court involving a novel theory of liability alleging a duty to innovate on manufacturers.
• National and coordinating counsel for a medical device company in high-profile product liability litigation concerning a Class III medical device in state and federal court.
• Trial counsel for a professional sports league players association in arbitration related to medical care grievances. 
• Defense counsel for a leading distributor in a multi-million dollar breach of contract and declaratory judgment action, resulting in a significant partial summary judgment victory.
• Defense counsel for a major pharmaceutical company in a multi-million dollar commercial dispute regarding fraudulent invoices.
• Defense counsel for a manufacturer in product liability litigation in state court in connection with a manufacturing related recall.
• Counsel to global manufacturer on manufacturing, compliance and potential recall related issues related to components.
• National counsel for a major pharmaceutical company in a federal antitrust MDL regarding allegations of delaying the introduction of lifesaving medications.
• Counsel and member of a trial team for a manufacturing company in a jury verdict for the defense in allegations regarding manufacturing defect.
• Counsel for a chemical company defending against premises liability claims resulting from injuries related to delivering or loading chemicals.

Michelle also maintains a robust pro bono practice, with a focus on trials and evidentiary hearings.

• Represented an Alabama Death Row inmate as part of Sidley’s Capital Litigation Project and recently led a trial team in support of the client’s petition for post-conviction relief at a week-long evidentiary hearing.
• Represented an 80-year-old man in a successful effort to petition for compassionate release based on the client’s serious medical deterioration.
• Working with the National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC), Michelle was part of a team that prevailed in three separate habeas corpus lawsuits, and obtained the release of three individuals with underlying medical conditions held by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at the Jerome Combs Detention Center in Kankakee, Illinois amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Trial counsel in an asylum matter for a young Central American immigrant who fled his home country because of persecution. Michelle was responsible for several witnesses at the evidentiary hearing, including expert witnesses.
• Trial counsel in numerous cases in municipal court for pro bono clients and obtained several bench trial verdicts in breach of contract disputes.

Michelle is an active member of Sidley’s Inclusion Committee, and co-chair of SidleyWomen in the Chicago office. She also serves on the Legal Aid Society Board and Metropolitan Family Services Board, non-profit organizations that provide legal assistance, counseling, and advocacy for those affected by domestic violence. Michelle is a mentor for Women@LifeSciences and is a former member of the firm’s Summer Associate Committee in Chicago (2016–2024), which oversees the firm’s summer associate program each year. In 2017, Michelle was an IADC Trial Academy participant, which is sponsored annually by the International Association of Defense Counsel at Stanford Law School.