Chelsea L. Monroe

Chelsea was part of the trial team who represented the State of New Mexico against Meta Platforms, Inc., wherein after a 6-week trial in Santa Fe County, the jury found Meta liable for claims brought by the State of New Mexico under the Unfair Practices Act and ordered Meta to pay $375 million* in civil penalties. Additionally, she was part of the 3-week bench trial against Meta, where the Judge found Meta’s social media platforms “a cause of and have substantially contributed to a public nuisance” in New Mexico. The Honorable Judge Bryan Biedscheid ordered Meta to create a new $567 million* abatement fund along with the implementation of a number of injunctive measures to improve safety on Meta’s platforms. New Mexico was the first state to go to trial and the first to reach a verdict against a social media platform for enabling the illegal exploitation of minors, harming kids, and misleading parents. The verdict signifies a key early victory in the broader fight to hold social media giants accountable for harms to children, teens and public entities. In addition to this work, Chelsea is part of litigation against other social media companies, including Snap, and was also a part of multiple trial teams on behalf of governmental entities in litigation against manufacturers and distributors of highly addictive opioid drugs.

Chelsea’s casework has often focused on women’s health issues. She represents women who were diagnosed with ovarian cancer after using Johnson & Johnson talc-based Baby Powder for feminine hygiene and was part of a 2026 trial team on behalf of the estate of a woman who died of ovarian cancer after using the product for nearly 40 years. The case was resolved just prior to jury deliberations. Chelsea’s medical device litigation also includes representing individuals, including many women, who were severely harmed by LapBand, a gastric banding device intended to induce weight loss for obese patients. These plaintiffs argue that the defendant manufacturers, including Allergan, Inc. and Apollo Endosurgery, provided false and misleading statements and marketing to their physicians about the safety and efficacy of the device. Chelsea is currently investigating cases where plaintiffs allege they were injured by spinal cord stimulators primarily placed for back pain, but due to failures of the device, plaintiffs sustained severe and impairing injuries, including electrical shocks, skin burns, bladder and bowel dysfunction, gastroparesis, paralysis, and death. 

Previously, Chelsea was a member of the Leadership Development Committee in MDL 3060 In re: Hair Relaxer Marketing Sales Practices and Products Liability Litigation in the Northern District of Illinois where thousands of plaintiffs argue they developed gynecological cancers after using certain chemical hair relaxers and defendant manufacturers failed to adequately test the products and warn customers about potential harms. Chelsea also represented plaintiffs in the Paragard® IUD multidistrict litigation (MDL No. 2974) filed in the Northern District of Georgia for women who suffered severe health effects that they argue are linked to the birth control devices. She also played an integral role in furthering litigation and a favorable resolution for thousands of women who suffered severe, life-altering effects after the implantation of permanent birth control device Essure®, manufactured by Bayer. 

Chelsea’s casework has also included litigating toxic exposure cases, including representing farmers, railroad workers, and others who have developed Parkinson’s disease after using toxic herbicide Paraquat, and individuals who have filed suit against Bayer and Monsanto arguing they developed non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) following the use of Roundup, another toxic weed killer. She also contributed to complex litigation filed against manufacturers of lead paint pigment who are believed to have caused health and developmental problems in countless children. 

*Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.