A Determined Advocate for Tribal Clients

The Chair of Lieff Cabraser’s Native American Tribal Practice Group, Eric B. Fastiff has practiced complex litigation for over 25 years, working on numerous cases involving the drug, food, technology, finance, and natural resource industries. His clients include Native American tribes and their health providers, municipal and county governments, businesses, individuals, and consumer groups.

In 2018, Eric and the firm filed cases against the country’s major opioid pharmaceutical manufacturers and distributors on behalf of tribes and tribal health organizations located in Northern California and Northwestern Washington, as well as Alaskan native villages and Alaskan tribal health organizations, seeking justice and restitution for extraordinary medical costs and community depredations resulting from the negligent, indiscriminate, and profit-driven marketing of opioid drugs into native communities. Lieff Cabraser also serves on the Tribal Leadership Committee in the National Prescription Opiate Litigation, where we have obtained over $1.5 billion in negotiated settlements so far for federally-recognized Tribes and Tribal health organizations to address the opioids crisis.

We also serve as Plaintiffs’ Lead Counsel in the McKinsey & Co. National Prescription Opiate MDL, where the plaintiffs alleged McKinsey provided negligent marketing advice to Purdue Pharma and other opioid manufacturers. In September of 2023, McKinsey agreed to pay $269.5 million, including $39.5 million designated for participating federally-recognized Native American Tribes.

Eric and the firm represented numerous tribes, Alaskan native villages, and tribal health organizations in litigation against JLI and Altria for the harm caused by their vaping products.  The case resulted in over $63 million in settlements for tribal entities.

Eric previously chaired the firm’s Antitrust Practice Group, and served as co-lead counsel in the California Cipro litigation, representing California consumers and third party payors in a state court class action lawsuit charging Bayer, Barr Labs, and other generic prescription drug manufacturers with a conspiracy to restrain competition in the sale of Bayer’s blockbuster antibiotic drug Ciprofloxacin, sold as Cipro. The 17-year litigation ultimately resulted in settlements totaling $399 million, a result the trial court described as “extraordinary.” Eric and the LCHB team’s work on the Cipro case led to recognition by California Lawyer and the Daily Journal as 2016 California Lawyers of the Year and receipt of the American Antitrust Institute’s 2017 award for Outstanding Private Practice Antitrust Achievement.

Eric also represented The Charles Schwab Corporation in a suit against several major banks for manipulating the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR).  He also successfully led the prosecution of a two week arbitration on behalf of a client that alleged both intellectual property and breach of contract claims. Eric’s other notable successes include representing businesses that purchased TFT-LCD panels and products in litigation charging that the world’s leading TFT-LCD manufacturers conspired to fix prices. The litigation resulted in settlements totaling over $470 million.

Long form bio (click to open pdf).