Jonathan D. Orent

Jonathan Orent is a seasoned trial lawyer who advocates for people hurt by medical devices, pharmaceutical drugs, social media addiction and other consumer products.

Jonathan has led multiple large-scale litigations for his clients.* Beyond his work in the courtroom, Jonathan has become a recognized voice in the field of e-discovery and other emerging topics in the law.

Jonathan appointed lead counsel of hernia mesh litigation In re Atrium Medical Corp. C-QUR Mesh Products Liability Litigation, MDL #2753 and serves as co-lead and co-liaison counsel in the largest consolidated hernia mesh litigation in the country, In re Davol/C.R. Bard Hernia Mesh Multi-Case Management Coordination. Jonathan led Motley Rice’s hernia mesh trial team in Trevino et al. v. Davol in 2022, achieving a $4.8 million* verdict against C.R. Bard following a month-long jury trial in Rhode Island Superior Court. He was co-liaison counsel in the In re Bard Litigation in New Jersey state court and as state court liaison counsel in Massachusetts. He was a member of the litigation team that successfully tried the Barba v. Boston Scientific Corporation case to a $100 million verdict* in Delaware (later reduced by appeal to $10 million). Jonathan also argued the successful appeal to the Massachusetts Court of Appeals, which allowed key evidence relating to Boston Scientific’s alleged knowledge of the potential harm caused by its products.

In addition to his leadership in hernia and pelvic mesh litigation, Jonathan is spearheading emerging litigation and is pursuing cases against the makers of weight loss drugs Ozempic and Wegovy.

Outside of his medical device work, Jonathan represents children and parents who allege Instagram purposefully designed its platform to be addictive to young people and increased its user growth at the expense of the mental health of its users. Jonathan also represents communities and people facing personal injury, property damage and economic loss as a result of negligence, environmental hazards or groundwater and soil contamination. In 2008, he sued a large New England utility company for more than 100 Tiverton, R.I., residents who claimed they suffered damages resulting from environmental contamination of their residential property. More recently, Jonathan helped settle contamination litigation between members of the Tallevast, Fla., community and a major aerospace defense contractor involving property damage and emotional distress caused by the alleged release of trichloroethylene (TCE), perchloroethylene (PCE) and other chemicals into the groundwater.

Jonathan has worked on complex litigation against the lead paint industry on behalf of government entities in California, New York, Rhode Island and Wisconsin, as well as lead poisoning cases for individual children and families against property owners. He also assists with discovery and trial preparation of the firm’s asbestos cases.

Prior to joining Motley Rice in 2005, Jonathan was a law clerk with the Missouri State Public Defender Youth Advocacy Unit and a legal intern for Senator Richard Durbin of Illinois. Recognized as an AV rated attorney Martindale-Hubbell, he has made numerous presentations on a variety of legal matters involving medical device litigation, environmental law, and e-discovery. He currently serves on the Sedona Conference Working Group that publishes important and influential commentary in the field of e-discovery. He is an adjunct professor at Roger Williams University School of Law, teaching about Rhode Island’s influential history in mass torts. He also served on the Rhode Island Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, a group whose mission is to address key community issues and discrimination matters, such as foreclosure scams and the disparate treatment of minority youth. Jonathan is President of AG Bell Rhode Island, as well as a member of the Rhode Island Early Intervention Work Group, a group that reviews early intervention services provided to deaf or hard of hearing children between the ages of 0-3 in Rhode Island.

*Every case is different. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.

Awards, Accolades & Recognitions

ALM New England Legal Awards

2023 Distinguished Leaders list

Best Lawyers

2023-2026 Mass tort litigation/class actions - plaintiffs

2024-2026 Product liability litigation-plaintiffs

Rhode Island Lawyers Weekly

2022 Leader in the Law

Super Lawyers

2018-2023 Rhode Island Super Lawyers list
Environmental Litigation; Personal Injury - Product: Plaintiff

2014-2017 Rhode Island Super Lawyers Rising Stars list
Business litigation; Class action/mass torts; Appellate

Blog Posts

December 27, 2016

The FDA Needs Your Help: Reporting & Communication are vital for your health Causes, Not Just Cases

by: Jonathan D. Orent

News

April 27, 2026

How Civil Litigation Helped Build Safer Workplaces-and Why It Still Matters

by:
Jacob R. Stout

March 24, 2026

Rhode Island AG’s Report Finds Hundreds of Children Abused by Catholic Priest

by: Motley Rice