Panel Discussion – The Growth of US Mass Torts: The Next Wave of Product & Environmental Litigation
Live Panel Discussion
Moderator: Peter Kelso of Roux
Panelists: Mark A. Behrens of Shook Hardy & Bacon, Ryan Gillespie, CLCS, MSM of Nationwide Indemnity Company, Brian D. Gross of MG+M, and Greg Gaines, JD of Roux
Wednesday, March 12 at 1pm Eastern
Over the past decade, the nation’s state and federal courts have been inundated with classes of claimants that allege they have been harmed by exposure to various products and toxins put into the stream of commerce and environment by US corporations. This live panel will detail the new era of mass torts, the similarities and differences between long-established mass torts such as asbestos, and how the current litigation and regulatory environment allows for claims to be aggregated for resolution.
The panelists will discuss the plaintiff allegations and defense of these cases, the current scientific and evidentiary requirements, claims administration issues, updates on state and federal tort reform measures, and how these mass torts will impact defendants and the insurance industry. Please join our panelists for a comprehensive look at the current mass tort landscape and how companies and insurers should prepare to defend the next wave of product and environmental litigation.
Topics of conversation include:
- Past is prologue: Lessons learned from prior US mass torts
- Overview of the current mass tort landscape: Asbestos, opioids, PFAS, ethylene oxide, etc.
- Rule 702: Causation and current scientific and evidentiary requirements
- The road to resolution: Navigating settlements in class actions, multidistrict litigation, and bankruptcy
- Claims administration: Effective ways to prepare and handle the influx of mass tort claims
- Defending cases in plaintiff-friendly jurisdictions
- Update on state and federal tort reform efforts
- Insurance considerations
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