Read about Johnson & Johnson’s renewed $6.5 billion talc settlement effort through the “Texas Two-Step” bankruptcy strategy, and how the case may reshape mass-tort bankruptcy law, MDL practice, and corporate liability risk management. The article looks beyond the settlement amount to the deeper legal question of whether a solvent parent company can use Chapter 11 to centralize and cap tort exposure.
In this advanced-level webinar, Joshua Gold, Luma Al-Shibib, and Miranda Jannuzzi examine how evolving cyber threats, artificial intelligence risks, and expanding privacy laws are reshaping cyber insurance coverage and claims. The program explores emerging exposures—including pixel tracking litigation, system damage, and business interruption—while providing practical guidance on navigating underwriting, coverage disputes, and regulatory scrutiny in an increasingly adversarial cyber insurance landscape.
When autonomous AI systems make life-and-death decisions, who is responsible when something goes wrong? In Part 1 of the Agentic AI on Trial series, Galina Datskovsky, PhD, Marina Kaganovich, and Hon. Lisa Walsh examine a hypothetical agentic AI mammography triage system designed to operate with minimal human oversight. The panel explores accountability across developers, hospitals, clinicians, and data providers—and whether new standards of care are emerging for machine decision-making. A must-listen for health tech, compliance, and healthcare operations professionals navigating the legal and operational risks of autonomous AI.
Social media platforms are under mounting legal pressure as courts scrutinize how algorithms amplify dangerous viral trends. In Nazario v. ByteDance Ltd., a New York judge allowed a wrongful death lawsuit against Meta and TikTok to move forward after a teen died attempting a “subway surfing” stunt allegedly promoted by their platforms. In this article, Tom Hagy examines how the decision challenges long-standing Section 230 protections and signals a shift toward treating social media as potentially defective products when design and targeting harm young users. This case—and others involving viral challenges and youth safety—may redefine platform liability for years to come.
In this episode of the Emerging Litigation Podcast, you will discover the legal complexities of wildfire litigation as Ed Diab, founding partner of Diab Chambers LLP, unpacks the strategies used to establish liability against utility companies in the wake of Southern California’s devastating January 2025 wildfires. With over 100 lawsuits filed against power providers like Southern California Edison, plaintiffs—including public entities, individuals, and insurers—face an uphill battle proving negligence and inverse condemnation claims. Ed shares insights on case-building strategies, the role of expert investigations, key legal defenses raised by utilities, and the evolving litigation landscape. Tune in for a deep dive into how these high-stakes cases unfold. Don't miss this episode!
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!
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.
Guest Writer Does the European Union Commission’s Proposal on AI Liability Act as a Game Changer for Fault-Based Liability Regimes in the EU? By Nils Lölfing Abstract: In this article, the author discusses increasing risks that artificial intelligence system providers, developers, and users will face from a liability directive proposed by the European Union Commission. The AI Liability Directive proposed by the European Union Commission puts additional liability risks on providers, developers and users of specifically high-risk artificial intelligence (AI) systems. If enacted, it could become a game changer for fault-based liability regimes in the European Union, as it introduces a presumption of causality to prove fault and a right of access to evidence from companies and suppliers regarding high-risk AI systems. This will help victims enforce non-contractual civil law claims for damages caused by an AI system. What this is about and how it increases the liability risk exposure of actors in the AI systems supply chain will be discussed in this article. Background On September 28, 2022, the EU Commission published its proposal for a Directive to establish new fault-based liability rules for AI systems (AI Liability Directive), along with a reform for the existing rules on the strict liability of manufacturers for defective products. The current article focuses on [...]
Includes Nearly 75 minutes of insights from experienced professionals. CLE credit: 1+ (subject to bar rules). For CLE questions: CLE@LitigationConference.com The complete Power Point presentation. Continued access to the complete recording for later use. Answers to your questions via email to the presenters or write to HB and we will be sure to contact the speakers. What can you do to settle personal injury suits cleanly and avoid costly litigation and penalties? What recent cases can inform you about protecting your settlements and, as attorneys, yourselves, from post-settlement federal lawsuits? How can your firm set itself up to meet government expectations? What role might experts play in navigating these pitfalls? Medicare Advantage (42 USC § 1395w-22) Federal Medical Care Recovery Act (FMCRA) (42 USC § 2651) Armed Forces Act (10 USC §1095) Veterans’ Benefits (38 USC §1729) Third-Party Collection Rules (32 CFR 537.24; 38 CFR 17.101, etc.) Set-Asides under the Medicare Secondary Payer Act (42 USC § 1395y(b)(2)] On Demand Registration Lien Resolution Government & Private Plans Get Aggressive (Against Attorneys!) On Demand | Recorded September 2020 It is increasingly common these days. Personal injury attorneys settle a case, only to find themselves sued by a U.S. Attorney for failing to reimburse Medicare for conditional payments as required by the [...]
Charlie Kingdollar on Sexual Abuse Claims and Litigation: Their Impact on the Insurance Industry Abstract The statistics surrounding childhood sexual abuse and molestation are staggering. Many make headlines such as the cases brought against clergy, athletic coaches, Boy Scout leaders, and actors and movie producers. This article attempts to size the impact of these cases on the insurance industry, and what measures are being taken that will allow more lawsuits to be filed on behalf of victims years after they were abused or molested. Author Charlie Kingdollar recently retired after 40 years with General Reinsurance Corp., where he was Vice President and Emerging Issues Officer. He is widely considered to be among the best resources for new liability risks, even called by one colleague as a “prescient and gifted industry futurist.” I recommend you follow him on LinkedIn. --Tom Hagy About The Journal on Emerging Issues in Litigation is a co-production of HB, Fastcase, and Law Street Media. You can also hear the complementary (and complimentary) Emerging Litigation Podcast wherever podcasts appear. For questions, contact Tom Hagy, Editor in Chief, at Editor@LitigationConferences.com.
Vince Vitkowsky on Insurance Coverage for Civil Unrest Civil unrest. Peaceful protests. Massive marches. Riots. Looting. Which of these things are not like the other? Recent social outrage over police shootings of Black people -- these events in particular -- have sent people to the streets by hundreds of thousands. In some cases these constitutionally protected activities are followed by property damage, injury and death. Observers continue to debate who is responsible for the violence. Whatever the answer, as a very practical matter, someone has to pay for the property damage. Join me for my conversation with Vince Vitkowsky of Gfeller Laurie LLP. Vince possesses deep knowledge of insurance coverage matters, representing carriers in a variety of areas, e.g. cyber risk, data privacy, general liability, directors and officers liability, health, and more. He combines his experience as a veteran insurance and reinsurance lawyer with a strong background in terrorism and national security law. 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 Vince is , please drop me a note at Editor@LitigationConferences.com. I hope you enjoy the [...]
By Tom Hagy I worked in the press office of the New Jersey Department of Health in the 1980s. Aside from hazardous waste, asbestos, cancer, a chemical fire or two, the annual influenza "crisis" and the occasional salmonella outbreak, AIDS was one of the most urgent, frightening and misunderstood health issues of the day. The U.S. epidemic began with one reported case in 1981, according to the Centers for Disease Control, and grew to an astounding 36.9 million people living with HIV/AIDS in 2017 as reported by the World Health Organization. The office I worked in was tasked with providing information to the public and members of the press. At the time many public health professionals believed -- as is the case with many diseases -- that education on how to prevent transmission of the HIV virus would all but eliminate its spread. All we had to do was educate the public and, most importantly, the high-risk groups. Education is a common weapon in fighting disease. It's why we wash our hands, cough into our elbows and try not to put salt on absolutely everything we put in our mouths. In the early 1980s the "problem" was that the high-risk groups were having homosexual sex and injecting drugs -- not typical themes addressed by politicians. Early on more conservative policymakers didn't [...]
