Julie Becker

Julie’s representative matters include:

• Obtained denial of class certification on behalf of a pet food company in a putative class action challenging the sale and labeling of certain pet food products.
• Obtained a complete dismissal in a putative class action filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York on behalf of a nationwide class of sunscreen purchasers. The plaintiffs alleged that the product was deceptively marketed as hypoallergenic and free of oxybenzone because it contained an alleged contaminant, benzophenone, which results from degradation of an FDA-approved active ingredient, octocrylene. Plaintiffs alleged that the defendants should have both changed their product labeling to warn of the risk of degradation and altered their manufacturing processes to remove the FDA-approved ingredient from the product’s formulation. The court granted Sidley’s motion to dismiss in full.
• Obtained a victory in a massive class action focused on per- and polyfluorinated substances (PFAS) brought against our chemical manufacturer client. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit reversed a class certification decision by the Southern District of Ohio, after the district court certified a class consisting of everyone subject to Ohio law with trace amounts of PFAS in their blood, which amounts to virtually every Ohioan. The Sixth Circuit vacated class certification and instructed the district court to dismiss the case for lack of standing. 
• Pre- and early-litigation risk assessment for a major consumer care product manufacturer regarding potential product contamination and the associated recall process. 
• Defending ongoing litigation regarding labeling representations related to benzene and benzophenone contamination in consumer care products in California and New York federal courts. 
• Defending ongoing litigation regarding labeling representations related to sunscreen products, consumer care products, and pet food products on behalf of major manufacturers and retailers.
• Defending ongoing product liability litigation related to products used during in vitro fertility procedures following a recall.
• Negotiating and overseeing a class action settlement that has been approved in federal court involving a sunscreen product.
• Defending a multinational pharmaceutical and life sciences company in high-profile, multijurisdictional product liability litigation related to a medical device, including preparation for trial.
• Defending ongoing litigation regarding labeling representations related to sunscreen products and consumer food products on behalf of major manufacturers and retailers.
• Defending a major chemical manufacturer and supplier in multiple personal injury and toxic tort litigations involving alleged harms from environmental chemical exposure.
• Advising a medical device and mobility company in connection with wheel chair system terms and conditions and limiting potential litigation exposure.
• Advising clients on a range of product-related issues that arise in mergers and acquisitions.
• Advising clients on litigation risk associated with potential labeling claims and product formulations. 

Julie maintains an active pro bono practice. She has recently focused her practice on attempting to obtain compassionate release for inmates that have been subject to sexual abuse while incarcerated as well as other prisoners’ rights litigation. Julie has also secured a US$450,000 jury verdict on behalf a client who alleged excessive force in a mental health facility. Julie has also taken part in the Illinois Appellate Defender Project, where she reviewed and prepared an analysis of pending appeals that provides a foundation for identifying potential issues on appeal.

Julie is a member of the Chicago Associate Relations Committee and is in the firm’s Women’s Culture Mentoring Circle.