Common Issues Defense Strategy James G. Martingano MehaffyWeber Houston, TX
Dec 16, 2015
Common IssuesDefense Strategy
James G. MartinganoMehaffyWeberHouston, TX
Introduction• Common Themes
– Single event– Multiple parties– Common Sources of Proof
• Common Problems– Scope– Inherent Delay/Duplication– Discovery– Finality
Main Types• Class Action
– statutory
• MDL– statutory
• Mass Tort/Consolidated Cases– Generally common law
Mass Tort vs. Class Action
• Similarities– Jurisdiction (State or Federal)– Focus (case disposition)
• Differences– Procedure (Federal vs. State)– Scope (limited vs. general)
Federal Class Actions• Federal Rule 23
– 1938• 3 types
– True– Spurious– Hybrid
• “Opt-In”
– 1966 • Criteria
– Numerosity– Commonality– Typicality
• “Opt-Out”
Class Actions• Class Action Fairness Act of 2005
– Tort Reform– Expanded Federal Jurisdiction– Limits on Coupon Settlements
• Trends– Personal Injury– Consumer– Employment
• State Court– Range of options– California – most complex
A Brief History of MDL
• Federal MDLs created in 1968• 28 U.S.C. § 1407• “common questions of fact”• “centralization is for the
convenience of the parties and promotes just and efficient conduct of litigation
Current Data on Federal MDLs
• 310 MDLs in over 60 Federal Districts
• 240 Judges overseeing one or more MDLs
• 92,000 pending individual cases – Of which 48,000 are asbestos
• 15% of the entire Federal Court docket
MDL Highlights• Breast Implant
– Established Scientific Panel to evaluate Daubert Motion
– Global Settlement• Welding Rod
– Bellwether Trials• Chinese Dry Wall
– Consumer and Personal Injury– Jurisdiction
• Vioxx– Settlement
• Asbestos– Still pending– Largest caseload – 40,000+
• Toyota Litigation – personal injury and consumer claims
Class Action Highlights
• Wal Mart– Largest gender discrimination class
action recently certified– Dukes v. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc,
Northern District of California
• AT&T– Overtime wage claims – Wlotkowski et al. v. Michigan Bell
Telephone Company, Eastern District of Michigan.
Herb Zarov• Personal Injury Issues related to
Consolidated Cases• Case Management Orders
– Defenses– Strategy
• Hypothetical Case Study
Carla Christofferson
• Punitive Damages in Class Actions– Exxon Valdez
• Standing Issues– Tobacco II
Carolyn Frantz• No-Injury Class Actions
– Teflon– BPA