Product Liability Symposium

Please join us for our first annual Product Liability Symposium, presented by DLA Piper’s Product Liability Diversity and Inclusion Committee on Wednesday, October 26.

This two-part afternoon symposium will take place live in Philadelphia. You may also attend locally by joining one of the numerous watch parties being hosted in our offices.

Part 1 of the symposium focuses on three hot topics in product liability litigation: the rise in global class actions; preemption; and environment-related litigation, in particular trends in heavy metals and toxic chemicals contamination.

Part 2 of the symposium features a discussion among DLA Piper lawyers and key clients as they explore tactics to increase diversity in the workplace and best practices when building a diversity program.

Following the symposium, we will host a cocktail reception in our Philadelphia office, and our watch parties will host their own social gatherings too.

CLE credit will be available for this event.

Program

Part 1

The rise of global product liability and class action litigation – strategies to protect your company
2:00 pm – 2:45 pm ET

Class actions and collective redress litigation are being filed with increasing frequency across the globe, presenting greater opportunities for sophisticated plaintiffs’ lawyers and litigation funders to prosecute coordinated cases in multiple jurisdictions simultaneously. This panel will explore how to proactively to defend against such litigation to protect your company and limit your exposure.

Moderator: Saher Valiani
Panel: Angela Agrusa, Cara Edwards, Breanna Fields

Saher Valiani	Angela Agrusa	Cara Edwards	Breanna Fields

Preemption in focus – a case study of Adams v. Novo Nordisk
2:45 pm – 3:00 pm ET

In an important victory for the pharmaceuticals industry, in March this year the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed summary judgment for Novo Nordisk in mass tort litigation involving claims that its diabetes medication Victoza causes pancreatic cancer. The decision preserved the MDL court’s robust causation ruling and its preemption holding in a jurisdiction that historically has been challenging for pharmaceutical defendants. During this presentation on preemption, Dani Morrison will discuss the impact of Adams v. Novo Nordisk and how it may affect coming litigation. 

Presenter: Dani Morrison

Dani Morrison

 

Heavy metals and toxic chemicals litigation – the evolving disputes landscape
3:00 pm – 4:00 pm ET

Litigation involving heavy metal and toxic chemical contamination is expanding, while regulations and laws at the state and federal levels are tightening. New companies and industries now find themselves under the microscope. In this panel, we will discuss potential strategies to mitigate your company’s litigation risks and address evolving regulations.

Moderator: Daniel Larkins
Panelists: Gwen Keyes Fleming, Buffy Mims, Jeff Tsai, Mary Catherine Way

Daniel Larkins		Gwen Keyes Fleming		Buffy Mims
Jeff Tsai		Mary Catherine Way

 

15-MINUTE BREAK – 

Part 2

Building a welcoming culture of diversity and inclusion in the workplace
4:15 pm – 5:15 pm ET

Diversity programs have historically focused on recruiting and statistics, but what are companies doing to effectively build a culture of inclusion that helps them retain talent? In this discussion, a cross-industry panel of in-house counsel will discuss the steps their companies are taking to develop best practices that help employees feel welcome, valued and included.  

Moderator: Ray Williams
Panelists: Lenora Ausbon-Odom (DLA Piper), Neena Patil (Jazz Pharmaceuticals), Mike Reilly (FMC), Shayon Smith (The Hershey Company)

Ray Williams		Lenora Ausbon-Odom		Neena Patil
Mike Reilly		Shayon Smith

 

CLE information

DLA Piper LLP (US) has been certified by the State Bar of California, the Board on Continuing Legal Education of the Supreme Court of New Jersey, and the New York State Continuing Legal Education Board as an Accredited Provider. The following CLE credit is being sought:

• California: 3.0 Credits (2.0 General, 1.0 Elimination of Bias)
• New Jersey: 3.6 Credits (2.4 General, 1.2 Diversity, Inclusion, and Elimination of bias)
• New York: 3.0 Transitional & Non-Transitional Credits (2.0 Professional Practice, 1.0 Diversity, Inclusion, and Elimination of Bias)

CLE credit will be applied for in Pennsylvania and in other states where DLA Piper has an office with the exception of Minnesota, North Carolina, and Puerto Rico.

For more information

Please contact Julie Parent with questions.

Register here.