Abbye Ognibene

Abbye Klamann Ognibene is a partner at Girard Sharp with more than a decade of experience in complex plaintiffs’ litigation.  Abbye is a nationally recognized trial lawyer whose practice focuses on complex antitrust, consumer protection, pharmaceutical, privacy, and catastrophic injury litigation. She represents individual and corporate plaintiffs in high-stakes cases against some of the world’s largest corporations, with a particular emphasis on class actions designed to hold powerful companies accountable.

Abbye has built a reputation as a formidable advocate in large-scale antitrust and class action matters involving pharmaceutical manufacturers, healthcare companies, and technology firms. She has served in court-appointed leadership positions, including as lead class counsel in litigation alleging that Johnson & Johnson unlawfully delayed competition to its blockbuster drug Stelara. She has played key roles in major antitrust actions involving leading pharmaceutical products, including Actos, Intuniv, Humira, Xyrem, Enbrel, and HIV medications.

An experienced trial lawyer, Abbye served as trial counsel in a large federal antitrust trial involving allegations of anticompetitive conduct in the HIV drug market. She has robust appellate experience, including securing a successful Second Circuit decision affirming the denial of a motion to dismiss in a significant pharmaceutical antitrust class action.

Beyond her antitrust practice, Abbye represents individuals and families in product liability, wrongful death, and consumer protection matters and has experience first-chairing complex federal personal injury trials. Her work has included litigation arising from dangerous consumer products and nationwide privacy violations, reflecting her longstanding commitment to protecting the rights of consumers and injured individuals.

Abbye has been recognized by Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America for Antitrust Law, Antitrust Litigation, and Plaintiffs Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions (2024-2026). The American Bar Association’s Litigation Section and Antitrust Law Section have invited Abbye to speak alongside federal judges and experienced trial lawyers on issues including ethics and privilege in expert work and complex antitrust litigation.

Before entering private practice, Abbye spent years working with the trial and appellate teams in DeBoer v. Snyder, later consolidated into Obergefell v. Hodges, the landmark United States Supreme Court case recognizing marriage equality nationwide. That experience helped shape her commitment to using the law as a tool to advance fairness, accountability, and access to justice.