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  • Post-Hurricane Coverage and Claims Adjustment Issues​

    Take this CLE webinar and gain a better understanding of ey insurance coverage issues arising from Hurricanes Helene and Milton, including business interruption claims, deductibles, flood sublimits, and strategies to address delays in the claims adjustment process. We feature experienced insurance recovery attorneys Dennis Artese, Marshall Gilinsky, Joshua Gold, and Grant Brown of Anderson Kill, P.C. Take it now or when you're ready. It's on demand!

  • 2025 California Wildfires Prompt Wave of Suits

    Bret Thurman provides an in-depth look at the surge of legal actions stemming from the catastrophic 2025 California wildfires, which caused widespread destruction across Southern California. He explores the numerous lawsuits filed against major utility companies like Southern California Edison (SCE) and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP), as well as actions against landlords accused of price gouging in the wake of the disaster. Key legal theories include negligence, inverse condemnation, and public nuisance, with plaintiffs arguing that mismanagement, delayed responses, and regulatory failures significantly contributed to the scale of the devastation. These cases could set important legal precedents for disaster liability and corporate accountability in California and beyond.

  • Fall bellwether trials for social media addiction cases to test novel legal theories

    Are social media platforms the next Big Tobacco? A major lawsuit argues they’re designed to be addictive—will the courts agree? Justin Ward explores the upcoming bellwether trials against major social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, and YouTube. The consolidated lawsuits, involving over 1,900 claims, argue these platforms are deliberately designed to exploit young users and cause addiction—drawing comparisons to cases against nicotine and opioids. Ward examines the complex legal challenges, including First Amendment issues and Section 230 protections, as courts determine whether these claims of negligence and failure to warn will move forward. The trials could set major precedents for social media regulation and corporate accountability.

  • 22 States Sue New York Over Climate Fund, Calling It an ‘Unconstitutional Shakedown’

    Tim Zyla examines the high-stakes legal battle between New York and a coalition of 22 states, led by West Virginia, over the state’s newly enacted Climate Change Superfund Act. The law requires energy producers to pay $75 billion over 25 years to fund climate damage recovery efforts. The lawsuit, filed in federal court, argues that New York’s law is unconstitutional, overreaches state authority, and unfairly targets out-of-state energy companies. Plaintiffs claim the Act violates multiple constitutional provisions, including the Commerce Clause, Due Process, and Equal Protection Clauses, as well as federal environmental law. Meanwhile, a pro se West Virginia resident has filed a motion to dismiss the case, defending New York’s actions as necessary for public health and climate accountability. Zyla highlights how this case could set a major precedent for state-level climate initiatives and corporate liability for environmental damage.

  • When Litigation Financing Goes Wrong, Who Pays?

    The bankruptcy of Houston's AkinMears LLP highlights the risks of relying too heavily on third-party litigation financing and the broader implications for transparency, regulation, and financial sustainability in mass torts. The firm filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy citing more than $200 million in debt owed to litigation funding companies Virage SPV 1 and Rocade Capital. According to Bloomberg Law’s U.S. Bankruptcy Tracker, AkinMears LLP was the only U.S. law firm filing for bankruptcy in January 2025 with $50 million or more in liabilities. In total, 12 large law firms declared bankruptcy in January 2025, up from seven in January 2024 but slightly below the 17 cases recorded in January 2023. Read our report by guest contributor Jennifer Holmes.

  • Mexico Bans Imports of Foreign Textiles: Does My Insurance Policy Cover That?

    Diana Gliedman, Dennis Nolan, and Fiona Hogan examine the impact of Mexico’s recent presidential decree banning certain foreign textile imports through the IMMEX program and increasing tariffs on textile products. The ban has disrupted operations for textile companies and third-party logistics providers, leading to unexpected costs, rerouting challenges, and supply chain delays. The authors outline how businesses may find relief through insurance policies such as Supply Chain Insurance, Business Interruption, Contingent Business Interruption, and Marine Cargo/Stock Throughput Insurance. They emphasize the need for swift action to review coverage, notify insurers, and document losses to maximize potential claims.

Emerging Litigation Podcast

Cannabis Industry Competition Law with Ausra Deluard and Jennifer Oliver

Attorneys Ausra Deluard and Jennifer Oliver on Cannabis Industry Competition Law What can legitimate cannabis companies do to level the playing field, not only against others who walk the straight and narrow, but dealers still thriving on the black market? It was my pleasure to interview Ausra Deluard and Jennifer Oliver for what was an informative and even surprising podcast. It's based on their article -- Clearing the Haze: State Laws and Private Plaintiffs Critical to Preserve Competition in Cannabis -- which will be featured in the inaugural issue of the Journal on Emerging Issues in Litigation, which will release in January 2021. Ausra, who is an attorney with the global law firm Dentons LLP, has spent more than a decade advising clients in a range of antitrust matters including merger investigations, competitor collaborations, and pricing and distribution policies. She works closely with cannabis clients to help them navigate the rapidly evolving cannabis laws and regulations throughout the U.S. Jennifer is a partner at national antitrust boutique MoginRubin LLP, where she litigates and advises clients on competition issues.  Her work includes representing classes of plaintiffs in class actions, risk mitigation and regulatory advice in mergers and acquisitions, and other complex business litigation. Check out the MoginRubin Blog. The Journal is a collaborative project between HB and the Fastcase legal research family, which includes Full Court Press, Law Street Media, Docket Alarm and, most recently, Judicata. If you have comments or wish to participate in one our projects, or want to tell me how awesome Ausra and Jennifer are, drop me a note at Question@LitigationConferences.com. We hope you enjoy the interview. Tom Hagy Founder & Managing Director HB Litigation Conferences

Three Urgent Consumer Class Action Topics with Paul Bland of Public Justice

Three Urgent Consumer Class Action Topics with Paul Bland of Public Justice To discuss these issues, it was my pleasure to interview F. Paul Bland, Jr., Executive Director of Public Justice, an organization that pursues "high impact lawsuits to combat social and economic injustice, protect the Earth’s sustainability, and challenge predatory corporate conduct and government abuses." Paul has argued and won more than 40 cases that led to reported decisions for consumers, employees or whistleblowers, including one victory in the U.S. Supreme Court, and has won one or more cases in six of the U.S. Courts of Appeals and the high courts of 10 different states. This podcast is the audio companion to the Journal on Emerging Issues in Litigation, a collaborative project between HB and the Fastcase legal research family, which includes Full Court Press, Law Street Media, Docket Alarm and, most recently, Judicata. If you have comments or wish to participate in one our projects, or want to tell me how insightful and informative Paul is, please drop me a note at Editor@LitigationConferences.com. We hope you enjoy the interview, and how I slipped in mention of Schrödinger's cat which, as everyone knows (that's sarcasm and self-deprecation), is a thought experiment that illustrates an apparent paradox of quantum superposition. Class actions can be an invaluable tool when consumers need to level the playing field in disputes with corporations.  Two important class action cases are currently before the Supreme Court.  One case, TransUnion v. Ramirez, involves innocent consumers who were erroneously added to the government's watch list for terrorists and drug smugglers. [Note: We recorded before the Supreme Court handed down its ruling that only plaintiffs concretely harmed by a defendant’s statutory violation have Article III standing to seek damages against that private defendant in federal court.] In the second, Goldman Sachs v. Arkansas Teachers, consumers seek to fend off a decision that  could limit securities [...]

Sandra Cianflone on Current and Emerging COVID-19 Litigation

Sandra Cianflone on COVID-19 Litigation in 2021 and Beyond It’s now been more than 18 months since the world was besieged by the novel coronavirus pandemic. In addition to the human toll, it disrupted our lives in ways big and small, new and old, as it raced across continents, first visiting North America in January 2020. There are an estimated 15,000 lawsuits relating to the outbreak, with some 350 filings directed toward the healthcare and medical communities. The number of insurance coverage suits is fast-approaching 1,800. Litigation has been initiated against aging services, hospitals, and healthcare providers, with the next anticipated wave likely to  surround vaccines themselves. What will be the basis of these claims? What defenses will we see? And what can healthcare providers do now in anticipation of this onslaught? Joining me to discuss this out-of-the-blue rash of litigation is Sandra M. Cianflone of Hall Booth Smith, P.C.  Sandie counsels and defends hospitals, physicians, nurses and institutional employees in a broad spectrum of catastrophic injury and medical malpractice cases. She received her Juris Doctorate from Pace University School of Law and her undergraduate degree from Fairleigh Dickinson University. This podcast is the audio companion to the Journal on Emerging Issues in Litigation, a collaborative project between HB Litigation Conferences and the Fastcase legal research family, which includes Full Court Press, Law Street Media, Docket Alarm and, most recently, Judicata. If you have comments or wish to participate in one our projects, or want to tell me how insightful and informative Sandie is, please drop me a note at Editor@LitigationConferences.com. This podcast is based on an article she wrote for the forthcoming issues of the Journal. I hope you enjoy the interview, and especially a brief story (after we wrap up) about Sandie's experience delivering a baby in the Age of COVID-19. I also mangled a bit of basic Spanish, for which I am ashamed (lo [...]

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