NEWS

March 11, 2019: PLAC member, Jim Beck of Reed Smith, was recently interviewed by 3D Print.com about 3D printing and the law, specifically product liability. Click here to read his interview.

​February 28, 2019: Congratulations to PLAC members Chris Spencer of Spencer Shuford of Richmond VA, and Tom Vanderford of Hyundai and their trial team who received a defense verdict in a product liability matter in the US District Court for the Western District of Virginia. More on the trial can be found here.

February 26, 2019: PLAC member, Steve Burkhart of BIC Corporation, was a featured panelist at the 2019 ICPHSO meeting in Washington DC. Steve was part of a panel discussing “E-commerce and the Rise of Counterfeits: Ensuring the Safety of Products Sold Online“
​February 25, 2019: PLAC Member Quentin Urquhart, from Irwin Fritchie Urquhart & Moore in New Orleans, was interviewed regarding the changes proposed to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure for the Law360 article "New Deposition Rule Could Have Benefits, But Lawyers Hate It".
​February 20, 2019: PLAC member, Jonathan Barton of Stanton Barton in St. Louis, recently published an expert opinion in Westlaw's Journal "Medical Devices". The article was entitled "Introduction to AI and IoT issues in Product Liability Litigation". One takeaway from his commentary is "Artificial intelligence is a mere component part subject to the same scrutiny that exists within the traditional notions of product liability law". The article appeared in the February 20th edition of the newsletter (subscription required).
​February 19, 2019: Steve Burkhart, General Counsel of BIC Corporation and immediate past president of the PLAC Board of Directors, was recently featured in “The Trademark Lawyer”. Steve provided his comments regarding BIC’s recently lawsuits filed in the ITC and US Federal District Court to stop Chinese-made, knock-off lighters that attempt to imitate BIC’s iconic products and protect BIC’s IP rights. To read the article, click here.
​February 12, 2019: The Federal Civil Rules Advisory Committee is considering changes to Rule 30(b)(6). PLAC submitted Comments to the Advisory Committee on Civil Rules opposing the current proposed amendment to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 30(b)(6). The Comment was authored by Mary Novacheck and Wendy Lumish of Bowman & Brooke on behalf of PLAC. Click here to read our comments.
January 29, 2019: PLAC Member, Jeff Richardson from Adams and Reese in New Orleans has been awarded the designation Appellate Practice Specialist by the Louisiana Board of Legal Specialization. Jeff is now only one of nine attorneys in Louisiana to hold this designation. You can read about the award here. 
January 20, 2019: Congratulations to PLAC member Bobby Miller and team from Butler Snow in Jackson, MS for their defense verdict last month in Mississippi Federal Court on behalf of their client, and corporate member, Suzuki.  More information on the trial can be found on law.com (subscription required) or you can read about it in Motor Sports Newswire.
January 10, 2019: PLAC member, Bic Corporation obtained a defense verdict in a shaver litigation filed in the 212th District Court in Texas (Galveston). Hartline Dacus represented BIC. Read the press release.
​January 8, 2019: ​Congratulations to Mike Zogby and team from Drinker Biddle for their victory in Cashen v. Johnson & Johnson, 2018 WL 6809093 (N.J. Super. Law Div. Dec. 24, 2018).  The NJ court found preemption in the breast implant case and dismissed all claims with prejudice. You can read about this case in Drug & Device Law.

EVENTS

Summits

Join PLAC (formerly the Product Liability Advisory Council) and select in-house representatives from the consumer electronics, medical device, food and transportation industries for a discussion on artificial intelligence and the risk implications for manufacturers that include this technology.

Our Panelists Include:
Cecilia Ziniti, Esq. – Cruise Automation
Cass Matthews, Esq. – Google
Sameer Desai, Esq. – Johnson & Johnson
Dennis Donohue – Western States Growers
Gerald Stegmaier, Esq. – Reed Smith

Moderated by Ash Upreti of Lyft
With introductions from Mildred Segura, Esq. of Reed Smith

June 6, 2019
4:30 PM – 6:30 PM
Registration & Networking Reception: 4:30-5:30
Program to follow
1 hour of CLE (CA) Pending

Reed Smith
101 Second Street, Suite 1800
San Francisco, CA  94105

Register now!

Fall Conference

PLAC’s annual Fall conference will be held October 2 - 4 at the Fairmont Hotel in Chicago, IL. More details to come.

Spring Conference

PLAC's annual Spring Conference was held May 1-3 at the Roosevelt Hotel in New Orleans, Louisiana. 

Past Webinars / Recordings (Registration Required to View)

All’s Not So Quite On the Northern Front: An Update on Product Regulation and Recalls in Canada

Product Safety, Regulation and Compliance in the EU – An Update on the Changes on the Horizon and Practical Impacts for Companies

All Worlds are Not the Same: A Comparison of the Legal Procedural Issues in Korea, Japan and Australia Affecting Product Liability Claims

Cataclysmic Change or Business as Usual: Product Regulation in the Trump Administration  

A Chat with CPSC Commission Ann Marie Buerkle

Cybersecurity Incident Report: Applying Reason And Rigor To Control Chaos

Risk and Rewards of AI

Twitter, Teens, & Training: Ensuring Consumer Safety in the Age of Disinformation

The Utility of Post-Fire Analysis of Electronic Products and Batteries

Return to Play: Update on Youth Sports and Concussions

If you would like to view the webinars, please click here.