Konrad Cailteux retired from the partnership in 2023. He was a partner in Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP’s New York office, where he specialized in defending U.S. and foreign corporations in product liability actions, mass tort matters, class actions and other complex litigation, in both trial courts and appellate courts.
Konrad served as lead trial counsel and national coordinating counsel in cases that encompassed a wide range of allegations, including wrongful death, defective products, False Claims Act violations, sovereign immunity, and Alien Tort Statute violations. These cases concerned diverse subjects, including high-tech fibers, pharmaceuticals, silicone gel breast implants, clinical trials, electrical and construction equipment, HVAC systems, PCBs, nuclear power plant construction, and alleged human rights violations. He also handled numerous matters before the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation, as well as civil and criminal investigations by federal agencies and state attorneys general.
Given the nature of his practice, Konrad had considerable experience in managing high visibility corporate crisis situations over the years, including media allegations of consumer product defects and consumer fraud; product recalls; allegations of defectively-designed medical devices; lawsuits alleging wrongful deaths due to inadequate clinical trial procedures; lawsuits alleging the use of forced labor and other human rights violations; and lawsuits alleging the submission of false claims to the United States government.
Konrad also is an active member of several committees of the American Bar Association. He has lectured and written on a number of issues involved in the defense of product liability and mass tort suits, including class actions, the admissibility of expert evidence, medical monitoring, the False Claims Act, the Alien Tort Statute, and managing complex litigation. Konrad also prepared amicus briefs for the United States Supreme Court in numerous high-profile cases involving issues of critical importance in the product liability and mass tort area, including landmark Supreme Court cases.
Konrad received his law degree from Hofstra University School of Law, where he was managing editor of the law review, and is a graduate of the United States Military Academy. Prior to attending law school Konrad served in the United States Army for five years, reaching the rank of Captain.