Mass injuries or damage caused by chemicals, defective products, drugs, medical devices, or any substance or environmental factor that cause harm to a group of individuals. Relates to Environmental.

The Medical Monitoring Tort Remedy

June 4th, 2024|Categories: Class Actions, CLE OnDemand, Complex Business Litigation, Mass Torts|Tags: , , , , , |

The medical monitoring tort remedy – allowing for medical monitoring without physical injury – is recognized in 14 states and not allowed in 23. The law is divided in two states while the rest have not specifically addressed the issue. States that allow medical monitoring to do so when a group of claimants is at increased risk of disease or injury due to exposure to a known hazardous substance or a dangerous product as the result of a defendant’s conduct. Under this tort remedy, claimants are tested periodically, for an agreed or decided period, usually between 10 and 40 years. In this CLE webinar, Gentle Turner & Benson LLC attorneys Edgar (“Ed”) C. Gentle III and Katherine (“Kip”) A. Benson discuss the evolution of the medical monitoring tort, related cases, tests to determine whether the tort should be applied, types of monitoring, and the arguments for an against medical monitoring.

Cracking the College Sports “Cartel”: Good for Athletes, Competition, and the Games by Joy Sidhwa and Tim LaComb

February 13th, 2024|Categories: Class Actions, Complex Business Litigation, Emerging Litigation & Risk, HB Tort Notes, Journal, Mass Torts, New Featured Post for Home Page, News|Tags: , , , |

Momentum in the national debate over whether a college athlete should profit from licensing deals for their “names, images, and likenesses,” or NILs, swung in favor of players on June 21, 2021, when the Supreme Court ruled for the athletes in NCAA v. Alston. Authors Joy Sidhwa and Tim LaComb of MoginRubin, LLP discuss the impacts of the decision and subsequent court decisions and state legislation which have further cemented and defined the changing amateurism rules in college sports. As the authors note, "the ultimate test of whether amateurism drives demand will come after new state laws allow compensation unrelated to education. If compensation doesn’t trigger a drop in demand, the NCAA will lose its procompetitive justification for the restriction and likely bring an end to amateurism rules".

Massive Mass Tort Settlements and Liability Forecasting

February 1st, 2024|Categories: Complex Business Litigation, ELP, Environmental Torts, Mass Torts|Tags: , , , , , , |

In this episode, we discuss Liability Forecasting and the role it plays in the administration of massive, sometimes multi-billion-dollar mass tort settlement trusts with guests Mark Eveland and Ed Silverman of Verus LLC, which provides litigation support services to law firms working on mass torts, such as case management and medical review services, settlement administration, business and advisory services, and analytics. Liability forecasting mechanisms were built to fairly and judiciously compensate current and future claimants for their injuries. Listen and learn more!

Litigation After Biometric Privacy Law Violations: Policyholder Victories and Their Implications

January 19th, 2024|Categories: Corporate Compliance, Emerging Litigation & Risk, HB Tort Notes, Insurance, Journal, Mass Torts, New Featured Post for Home Page, News|Tags: , , , , |

Insurance companies are implementing new measures to try to avoid paying for liabilities attached to consumer and employee biometric privacy law violations. The authors, Cort Malone and Abigail Damsky explore the issues companies and policyholders should be examining to ensure adequate protection in the present and future. As the authors note, “as more states pass biometric privacy laws, it is critical not only to follow court decisions but also to understand how insurance companies are attempting to avoid liability for such claims.”

Expert Depositions and Trial Disclosures: What Every Litigator Needs to Know

January 17th, 2024|Categories: Complex Business Litigation, Emerging Litigation & Risk, HB Tort Notes, Journal, Law Firm Operations, Mass Torts, New Featured Post for Home Page, News|Tags: , , , , |

Expert disclosures in litigation are vitally important for trial testimony and planning for trial. The author, Ethan Minkin examines issues surrounding expert depositions and trial disclosures, which he argues need to be appreciated to avoid unanticipated surprises at trial. As Ethan discusses, "the pretrial process requires an eye toward the future. Trial work is not limited to just knowing the applicable Rules of Evidence. The applicable Rules of Civil Procedure play an equally important, if not greater, role in helping to define what will happen at trial".

Copyright Issues in Generative AI for Software: Doe v. Github, Inc. et al.

January 17th, 2024|Categories: Emerging Litigation & Risk, HB Tort Notes, Intellectual Property, Journal, Mass Torts, New Featured Post for Home Page, News, Technology Law|Tags: , , , , |

The ongoing case of Doe v. Github Inc. et al. addresses copyright-related issues inherent in the Copilot generative AI that allows users to enter prompts to generate software code. This case addresses many of the issues involved in the training and use of generative AI for generating software code. The author, Jeffrey Gluck examines these issues, which he anticipates will have far-reaching implications for AI-generated works in the future. As Jeffrey notes, "Github is a case that may have far-reaching implications for AI-generated works in the future".

The Promise and Peril of Quantum Computing and Its Implications for Cyber Insurance

January 17th, 2024|Categories: Emerging Litigation & Risk, HB Tort Notes, Insurance, Journal, Mass Torts, New Featured Post for Home Page, News, Technology Law|Tags: , , , , |

Quantum computing, like artificial intelligence, is one of several emerging technologies that could either save the planet or end the world, depending on which expert is holding forth on the issue. This article explores the promise and peril of quantum computing and the potential coverage implications under cyber insurance policies. As Cameron notes, "while cyber insurance may provide some coverage for hazards that result from quantum computing, those policies may not respond to many of the risks".

FTC v. Amazon: Market Definitions and Section 5 of the FTC Act

December 21st, 2023|Categories: Complex Business Litigation, Corporate Compliance, HB Tort Notes, Journal, Mass Torts, New Featured Post for Home Page, News|Tags: , , , |

Traditional antitrust economics face significant challenges grappling with the relatively new digital economy. The author, Jonathan Rubin examines these and other issues raised in the case of FTC v. Amazon, which he anticipates will be a crucial test for antitrust and the FTC Act.

PFAS Regulation, Litigation, and Differentiation

November 9th, 2023|Categories: ELP, Environmental Torts, Mass Torts|Tags: , , |

In this episode, we give you some history of the PFAS compounds, discuss some of their important differences, review what litigation we're seeing (including the various claims and defenses), note what we can learn from recent settlement structures, forecast the impact of any new regulation, and predict what litigation might be next. Listen to our guests David Marmins and Morgan Harrison of Arnall Golden Gregory LLP.

PFAS Regulation: EPA Ushers in Next Era of Mass Tort and Environmental Litigation

September 21st, 2023|Categories: Emerging Litigation & Risk, Environmental Torts, HB Tort Notes, Journal, Mass Torts, New Featured Post for Home Page, News|Tags: , , , |

PFAS claims are the next frontier of mass tort and environmental litigation. With the EPA poised to finally enact the first regulation of these chemicals, that frontier is ripe for exploration. This article explores PFAS and the origin of litigation around the substances as well as the state of PFAS litigation and regulation today. It concludes with some thoughts on what to expect when it comes to PFAS litigation going forward.

TVPRA, State Statutes Open Door for Civil Damage Claims by Human-Trafficking Victims

September 19th, 2023|Categories: Complex Business Litigation, Employment, HB Tort Notes, Journal, Mass Torts, New Featured Post for Home Page, News|Tags: , , , , |

Since 2003, when Congress opened the door for human-trafficking victims to sue for civil damages under the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (TVPRA), the TVPRA and similarly drafted state statutes have allowed for human-trafficking victims to seek civil damages against any party that has benefited from their trafficking. Given this expansive inclusion of third-party liability, more and more businesses, especially those in the hospitality industry, are ultimately the ones left to pay for the criminal acts of human traffickers. In this article, the authors, Coryne Leyendecker and Pamela Lee discuss the evolving litigation around human-trafficking claims and offer guidance on how businesses can build a foundation for their own defense while simultaneously helping prevent human-trafficking crimes from occurring in the first place.

Spotting the Risk, Reaping Rewards: Avoiding Increased Antitrust Scrutiny

September 15th, 2023|Categories: Complex Business Litigation, Corporate Compliance, Emerging Litigation & Risk, HB Tort Notes, Journal, Mass Torts, New Featured Post for Home Page, News|Tags: , , , , |

The Authors Katie has favorably represented antitrust clients in matters involving monopolization, conspiracy, price fixing, exclusive dealing, and other competition-related disputes, including trade secrets and non-compete actions. She has extensive knowledge of the regulatory hurdles and obligations her clients face. Katie earned her J.D. from the New York University School of Law, cum laude. Natalie West represents sophisticated clients in complex commercial disputes. She regularly serves as the lead brief writer in antitrust cases, employment and consumer class actions, and appellate matters. Natalie graduated with high honors from the University of Texas School of Law, where she served as a member of the Texas Law Review and was elected to the Order of the Coif. Interviews with leading attorneys and other subject matter experts on new twists in the law and how the law is responding to new twists in the world. Avoiding Antitrust Scrutiny Spotting the Risk, Reaping Rewards The increase in aggressive antitrust enforcement has certainly received significant attention. For the moment, juries are not rewarding the prosecutors. That said, even an unsuccessful government investigation is itself costly and can motivate plaintiffs’ lawyers. Best practices involve not only following the law but also maintaining solid optics to avoid the need for an expensive, if ultimately successful, defense. [...]

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