VERUS LLC TO CO-HOST WEBINAR ‘CONTEMPORARY ISSUES IN MASS TORTS: APPLYING LESSONS LEARNED FROM TALC AND BEYOND’

What: Verus LLC has announced it will co-host a full-day webinar, with Cohen, Placitella & Roth, P.C. and Corodemus & Corodemus, devoted to talc and mass torts. Hosted by NJICLE, “Contemporary Issues in Mass Torts: Applying Lessons from Talc and Beyond” will explore the lessons learned to date from the talc litigation for plaintiffs and defendants alike and how those lessons can be applied to future mass torts.  Attendees will earn CLE credits.

Topics include:

• Comprehensive Review of Federal and State MDLs
• Recommended Research for Lawyers
• Gatekeeper Function of Courts for Experts: Standard Federal and State Courts rulings
• Challenges in Mass Tort Settlement Plans; Notes from the Asbestos Wars
• Proving Causation- Cosmetic Vs. Non-Cosmetic Products
• Confidentiality Orders, Spoliation and the Ghosts of Christmas Past
• Mass Tort Bankruptcy Strategies on Both Sides of the “V”
• Appellate Litigators Share Their Experiences.
• Pandemic Trial Practice in a Zoom World

WHEN: January 21, 2021, 9 am – 3:30 pm ET

WHY:  Talc is the most recent product to shape the current world of mass tort litigation. There are currently over 1,000 talc cases filed against Johnson & Johnson in New Jersey, and there are thousands more nationwide. In one of the New Jersey cases, Carl v. Johnson & Johnson, a trial court judge dismissed a lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson, finding the plaintiffs’ experts lacked credibility. The Appellate Division reversed, finding that the trial court had erroneously dismissed the case by assessing the expert’s credibility rather than the methodology they used to reach their opinions.

The Appellate Court decision provides a benchmark for trial court judges and litigators about how they should be evaluating expert testimony in mass tort cases. Many believe the Carl decision gives new life to other talc cases currently pending in New Jersey courts.  The future of the talc litigation has yet to be determined.

This Zoom videoconference will feature prominent judges, leading plaintiff and defense attorneys, and other experienced litigation professionals who will provide a thorough, nuanced analysis of how to litigate talc and other mass tort cases successfully.

Who:   Speakers and Sessions:

Morning Session [9:00-12:00 p.m.]

 

9:00- 9:30 a.m.

Current & Prospective View of Federal and State MDLs: Talc a Case Study 

Michelle A. Parfitt, Ashcraft & Gerel, LLP

 

9:30-10:00 a.m.

Understanding the Science: Recommended Research for Lawyers

Dr. Margaret M. Thompson, Beasley Allen Law Firm

 

10:00-10:50 a.m.

Gatekeeper Function of Courts for Experts: Standard Federal and State Courts rulings

Judge Robert B. Kugler, United States District Judge for the District of New Jersey

Judge Marina Corodemus (ret.), Corodemus & Corodemus

Danny R. Kraft Jr., Weitz & Luxenberg

Timothy I. Duffy, Coughlin Duffy LLP

 

10:50-11:10 a.m.

Challenges in Mass Tort Settlement Plans; Notes from the Asbestos Wars

Mark Eveland, Verus LLC

 

11:10-12:00 p.m.

Proving Causation – Cosmetic Vs. Non-Cosmetic Products

Susan M. Sharko, Faegre Drinker

Leigh O’Dell, Beasley Allen Law Firm

 

Break [12:00-1:00 p.m.]

Afternoon Session [1:00- 3:30 pm]

 

1:00-1:30 p.m.

Confidentiality Orders, Spoliation and the Ghosts of Christmas Past

Chris Placitella, Cohen, Placitella & Roth, P.C.

 

1:30-2:15p.m.

Mass Tort Bankruptcy Strategies on Both Sides of the “V”

Edwin J. Harron, Young Conaway

Mark A. Fink, Robinson+Cole

Rachel C. Strickland, Wilkie Farr & Gallagher LLP

Michael S. Etkin, Lowenstein Sandler

 

2:15-2:45 p.m.

Doesn’t Matter What the Jury Said, I’ll Win up on Appeal. Appellate Litigators Share Their Experiences.

Denyse Clancy, Kazan, McClain, Satterley & Greenwood

 

2:45-3:30 p.m.

Pandemic Trial Practice in a Zoom World

Michael A. Akselrud, The Lanier Law Firm

Allison M. Brown, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP and Affiliates

Contact: To register or for more information, visit https://verusllc.com/upcoming-webinar-contemporary-issues-in-mass-torts-applying-lessons-learned-from-talc-and-beyond/

About Verus LLC

Headquartered in Princeton, NJ, Verus LLC is a litigation support service firm that provides a full suite of services, including Case Management & Medical Review Services, Settlement Administration, Business & Advisory Services, and Analytics Services, to mass tort lawyers.  Before founding Verus in 2003, the firm’s principals helped design some of the first-ever mass tort settlements and in the process, administered more than 450,000 asbestos personal injury claims and disbursed more than $6 billion in settlement funds and expenses. Since 2003, Verus has administered over five million personal injury claims and disbursed billions more in settlement funds. Today, Verus is fully engaged in providing litigation support services to law firms working on mass torts. The experts who work at Verus have years of experience in handling cases involving defective medical devices including IVC filters, hernia mesh and transvaginal mesh, and dangerous drugs, including Invokana, Taxotere, PPIs, Xarelto, Benicar and Zofran.

Verus employs almost 100 U.S.-based attorneys, nurses, accountants, statisticians and claims adjusters, operations experts, and hardware and software engineers to help mass tort attorneys improve operating results and maximize recoveries for their clients.  For more information, visit www.verusllc.com or contact them at [email protected].

Media Contact:         

Nina Dietrich LLC
Nina Dietrich
201-493-8944 or [email protected]