Recent Developments in Tort Law and Practice

October 6, 2014

conference.

Civil cases seeking compensation for torts – whether individual or en masse – often are accompanied by large sums of money and intense emotion.

This conference examined recent developments in tort law, affording students, faculty and practitioners a rare inside look at this high-stakes field of law.

Morning Panel: Aggregation and Disaggregation in Mass Torts
 Panelists discussed the recent trend in some mass tort MDLs away from global settlement in favor of individual claim litigation and settlement in state court.

Afternoon Panel 1: Past, Present and Future of NYCAL

Afternoon Presentation: Update on the RAND ICJ Asbestos Bankruptcy Project
 Early findings from the RAND study on the impact of the bankruptcies of asbestos defendants on asbestos litigation in state court, with commentary from panelists.

Afternoon Panel 2: The Past, Present and Future of the New York “Scaffold Law”
 A detailed examination of New York’s unique approach to strict liability in construction accident cases, including the origins and evolution of the law in recent years.