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