George T. Baxter, Esq.
George T. Baxter, Esq. came to national prominence as a trial lawyer for protecting healthcare consumers when the Trial Lawyers for Public Justice, Washington, D.C. selected him for their prestigious “Trial Lawyer of the Year Public Achievement Award.” The recipient of this award is chosen from over a million lawyers throughout the United States for an exceptional achievement in law. The TLPJ placed national prominence on Mr. Baxter’s victory in the case of Snyder v. American Association of Blood Banks, 282 N.J. Super. App. Div. (1991), affirmed Snyder v. American Association of Blood Banks, 144 N.J. 269 (1996). Mr. Baxter’s client, William Snyder, was given AIDS contaminated platelets during heart surgery before the blood industry started testing blood for AIDS. Mr. Baxter discovered that there was a test available, however the industry conspired to not use it to keep cost down. After a two-month trial, Mr. Baxter won the only jury verdict in history against the billion-dollar-a-year blood industry for distributing AIDS contaminated blood products to thousands of people. The trial fueled a congressional investigation into conflicts of interest between the blood industry and its FDA regulators that led to this tragedy.
In his book, “Every Last Drop: Blood and Money,” Mr. Baxter tells the courtroom battle to win justice for the Snyder family from the billion-dollar-a-year industry. There is also a book trailer posted on this website. https://gbaxterlaw.com/about/ The book is available here: https://www.amazon.com/Every-Last-Drop-Industry-Betrayed/dp/1490718400
After the success of the Snyder case, Mr. Baxter co-founded VaxGen, Inc., a vaccine company located San Francisco. Mr. Baxter participated in the early start-up with $26,000,000 private funding to purchase the proprietary intellectual property of AIDS VAX, and later participated in VaxGen’s Initial Public Offering, which raised $140,000,000. Mr. Baxter served as the Senior Vice-President, General Counsel and interim Chief Executive Office. VaxGen undertook the herculean challenge of developing the world’s first AIDS vaccine.
After VaxGen, Mr. Baxter returned to private law practice to win multiple million dollar jury verdicts and settlements in the areas of medical malpractice and product liability cases. He is a member of the “Million Dollar Advocates Forum,” and the “Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum.’ He won more than $14,000,000 in workplace severance agreements settlements, $7,000,000. In medical malpractice and physician error awards, $3.650,000. in negligence awards, and $1,300,000 in partnership buyout arbitration. He is a skilled trial lawyer who enjoys diverse challenges of complex cases.
Mr. Baxter served with the United States Marine Corps during the Vietnam, Third Marine Amphibious Recon Force, as a platoon sergeant. His unit received the Presidential Unit Citation. He attended Rutgers University and Harvard University graduating law school as the recipient of the top honor of the “Distinguish Student Award.”
Overview of Awards & Accolades
Trial Lawyer of the Year, Public Achievement Award, Trial Lawyers for Public Justice, Washington, D.C.
Top Ten Plaintiff’s Trial Lawyers Satisfaction, Trial Lawyers Institute
Multi-Million Dollar Trial Lawyers Forum
Notable Multi-Million Dollar Jury Verdicts and Settlements
- Snyder v. Makhjian, 244 N.J. Super. 281 App. Div. (1990) First Appellate case to carved out the rights of a hospital patient to bring a lawsuit against the blood industry for providing AIDS contaminated blood products.
- Snyder v. Mekhjian, 125 N.J. 328 (1991) On appeal by the blood industry, the Supreme Court upheld patients’ right to sue blood bank, hospital and physician for AIDS contaminated blood transfusions.
- Snyder v. American Association of Blood Banks, 282 N.J. Super. App. Div. (1991) The New Jersey Appellate court upheld the first jury verdict in history against the United States blood industry for distributing AIDS contaminated blood products.
- Snyder v. American Association of Blood Banks, 144 N.J. 269 (1996) Supreme Court affirmed the Appellate Court.
- Hayes v. Ariol Products, confidential seven figure product liability settlement.
- R.F and R.F, v. Abbott Labs, 311 N.J. Super 216 (1996) Product liability case against Abbott Labs for a defective biologic test. Challenged the reliability & efficacy of biologic laboratory test.
- Doe v. New York Blood Center, Confidential Medical Malpractice Settlement in New York Federal District Court. Appeared as pro hac vice trial counsel for trial in New York federal court.
- Fiscik v. Biolotti, Seven figure confidential settlement medical malpractice hip surgery case.
- Matear v. Wildman, After three weeks of jury trial, the case resulted in a mid-seven figure confidential settlement in this medical malpractice case. Plaintiff’s allegation was a mis-diagnosis with a blood clotting disorder that resulted in her unnecessary transfusions of AIDS contaminated blood products.
- Petriconie v. BFPR, 2015, Partnership buyout dispute. $2.2 Million Dollar Arbitration Award.
- Huapaya v. New Machinery Inc. 2019, Multi-million dollar confidential seven figure settlement for design defect of a paper roller machine that crushed plaintiff’s arm. This was a successor liability case where I traced the sale and transfer of sufficient assets of the defunct manufacturer to the successor corporation.
- Zea v. Smith, 2018, medical malpractice case seven figure confidential settlement against plaintiff’s urologist for causing pudental neuralgia.
- Camali v. Paladino, 2020, Partnership restrictive covenant dispute. Successfully defended against a multi-million dollar claim of breach of partnership operating agreement. After a seven day trial, won a defense jury verdict
Credentials & Background
Education
Rutgers School of Law, Newark, New Jersey JD. Distinguished Student Award. 1983.
Military Service
United States Marine Corps, 1969-1972. Decorated Platoon Leader.
License
– State of New Jersey
– Federal District Court
Every Last Drop:
How the Blood Industry Betrayed the Public Trust
After barely making it through Rutgers Law School, George Baxter practiced law from his 1975 Oldsmobile, bouncing from court to court taking per diem work from any lawyer who would give it to him. Then he met Bill Snyder who desperately needed a lawyer because he’d been infected with AIDS from a transfusion he received during heart surgery.
Racing against time and poorly financed, George began a six-year legal battle against the billion-dollar-a-year blood industry that infected his client- as well as 29,000 other people – with AIDS.
EVERY LAST DROP is written in the first person as the plaintiff’s lawyer in the landmark trial Snyder v. American Association of Blood Banks. The trial exposed how the United States blood industry disseminated false information, hijacked the FDA and conspired to delay AIDS testing to save money, which resulted in the most devastating public health disaster in U.S. history.
Contact
For more than 38 years, The Law Office of George T. Baxter has been helping seriously injured clients win their cases and get their lives back on track. We take pride in our three decades of winning cases. There is no charge for a personal injury consultation and no legal fee unless we win your case. Fill out the form below or give me a call at (201) 266-6871.