Weitz & Luxenberg attorneys Ellen Relkin, Danielle Gold, and Brendan McDonough are sharing their knowledge at several summer events:

Attorneys Provide Insight on Mass Torts

On August 6, Ellen Relkin serves as program co-chair at the Mass Tort Session of the New Jersey Association for Justice Boardwalk Seminar 2020. The program that day begins at 9:30 a.m. with these agenda topics: The Nuts and Bolts of an Appeal and Discovery Rules; N.J. Mass Tort Update and Current MDL Status; Ethical Considerations in N.J. Mass Torts; and Present Litigation Affecting Future Rights.

Relkin and Gold are scheduled to speak during the N.J. Mass Tort Update and Current MDL Status session being held from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Relkin provides an update on New Jersey mass torts and the status of current multidistrict litigations. Gold speaks on JUUL and electronic cigarettes litigation.

Relkin is a regular featured speaker at the annual boardwalk seminars. She brings a one-of-a-kind perspective drawn partially from her court-appointed leadership roles in major litigations. At Boardwalk Seminar® 2020, some of the most renowned speakers from across the nation deliver presentations directly into attendees’ homes as a virtual event this year. Social and multimedia features allow registrants to engage with fellow participants, speakers, sponsors, and exhibitors.

On July 27, from 1:00 – 4:45 p.m., Relkin presents on the topic of JUUL and electronic cigarettes at an AAJ education webcast, Hot Topics in Mass Tort Litigation, covering both the breadth of the topic and providing measures on how to defeat common mass tort defenses. Relkin stands among a national cohort of exceptional speakers who address an audience of dedicated plaintiff trial lawyers.

Combatting SNAP Removal

On July 15, attorney Brendan McDonough presented at the AAJ’s 2020 AC Amped-Up Convention Section on Environmental, Toxic and Pharmaceutical Torts (STEP).

During his presentation on current trends in mass torts, he spoke about the growing use of snap removal to deprive plaintiffs of state court forums. In his presentation, he addressed recent district court decisions that provide cause for optimism as well as practical lessons for combating snap removal.

A “snap removal” is a procedural tool attorneys for corporate defendants are increasingly using in an effort to delay civil litigation and move cases out of state courts into federal court. Often, these cases involve product liability and mass tort actions brought against large pharmaceutical companies. In essence, defendants’ attorneys exploit a loophole in federal law to avoid answering to state courts and their own state’s laws, which govern the conduct of that state’s corporate citizens and may not favor defendants.

Relkin has testified before the U.S. House Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property and the Internet to address the rise of snap removals and to urge Congress to pass legislation that would close the snap removal loophole.

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