Maron Marvel senior counsel Robert W. Petti will be presenting “Forecast for PFAS Litigation in 2024” at Perrin Conferences’ PFAS Litigation and Regulatory Developments Conference. This virtual conference will be held on Thursday, February 15, 2024.

The panel discussion will cover:

• Consumer-facing/ESG trend for PFAS
• Forensics analysis of PFAS for source identification
• MDL Litigation forecast
• Current states litigation forecast
• Striking Similarities between PFAS and early asbestos litigation

Other conference topics include current litigation and MDL status updates, federal and state PFAS developments, PFAS consumer fraud, and claims unique to PFAS litigation. To view further details and register, click here.

Maron Marvel associate attorney Liana M. Nobile has been accepted to serve as a mentor for the Law School Admission Council’s LawReady program. LawReady is an innovative initiative designed to broaden access to legal education and meet undergraduate students earlier in their academic journeys to help them prepare for a future career in law.

Over the next year, Liana will meet monthly with her mentee and offer guidance as they navigate the law school application process. She will also provide her mentee valuable insight into life as a practicing attorney.

Maron Marvel is excited to announce the elevation of William Perrelli to a firm director, effective January 1, 2024. This election is in recognition of William’s superior legal skills, commitment to the firm, respect by clients and peers, and dedication to serving the needs of our clients and the firm.

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Maron Marvel serves as national, regional, and trial counsel to companies with operations located in the most dangerous plaintiff jurisdictions in the country. Our killer team of attorneys have a passion for superior work product, a distinctive culture rooted in mass tort litigation, and an obsession with exceptional client service. To learn more, visit www.maronmarvel.com.

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It is with a heavy heart that we announce the passing of our cherished colleague and counsel, Dr. Phil Rothbart, on December 3.

Dr. Rothbard joined the firm 22 years ago and was a mentor and trusted friend to so many at Maron Marvel. He was a true gentleman and a brilliant physician and lawyer. He taught many at the firm about the medicine and science of benzene. He was a tireless advocate for our clients and had a passion for the work and life that was unsurpassed. He continued to practice every day until shortly before his death. Phil practiced medicine for 37 years and then both medicine and law concurrently for 25 years before joining Maron Marvel full-time in 2001.

He was a devoted husband, a loving father and grandfather, and a remarkable individual.

Please keep him and his family in your thoughts. He will be missed!

Maron Marvel is pleased to announce directors Chad D. Mountain and Shounak “Ruku” K. Sarkar are co-chairing the HarrisMartin Benzene and Toxic Tort Litigation Conference: Recent Developments and Future Trends on December 1, 2023, in Charleston, SC. Eric Williams of Williams Law Office LLC will also serve as a conference co-chair.

This one-day conference features insightful panel discussions on the recent Mallory decision, genomics, ethics, and more. Registration includes admission to all sessions, all course materials, and CLE Credit in up to (2) states.

 

Maron Marvel ranked as a national first-tier law firm in mass tort litigation in the 2024 edition of the U.S. News – Best Lawyers^® “Best Law Firms.” Additionally, the firm once again achieved top rankings across several practice areas, including mass tort, product liability, personal injury, and commercial litigation on behalf of defendants in multiple metropolitan areas.

Earlier this year, Maron Marvel was recognized by their peers in the 2024 Best Lawyers in America survey, which ranked 25 of our attorneys.

A program of U.S. News – Best Lawyers®, “Best Law Firm” rankings are determined through a rigorous evaluation process involving the collection of client and lawyer evaluations, peer review from leading attorneys in their field, and review of additional information provided by law firms as part of the formal submission process.
 
The highest honor, a Tier 1 ranking, is based on a firm’s overall evaluation. This is derived from a combination of the firm’s clients’ impressive feedback, the high regard that lawyers in other firms in the same practice area have for the firm, and information that firms provide to Best Lawyers via a survey.

To be eligible for a “Best Law Firm” ranking, a firm must have at least one lawyer named in The Best Lawyers in America©. Attorneys are neither required nor allowed to pay a fee to be listed. 

Maron Marvel attorneys Audrey Anyaele, Rob Dille and Rob Petti will speak at the National Forum for Environmental and Toxic Tort Issues (FETTI) Annual Conference from September 27-29 in Chicago, Illinois.

This annual seminar brings together experts and professionals from around the nation to educate attendees on the latest environmental and toxic tort issues. Maron Marvel member Jack McCants currently serves on the FETTI National Board and oversees sponsorships for this meeting.

Audrey and Rob Dille are presenting on a panel discussing cancer clusters with medical expert, Dr. Hung K. Cheung of Cogency Environmental, LLC.  Rob Petti is a panelist for “Environmental Justice Considerations Affecting Environmental Requirements and Costs,” which will cover federal and state environmental justice programs and the litigation surrounding them.

Other topics covered during the conference will include:

• PFAS: What Moves Do You Make in a Universe of Uncertainty
• Coverage Law Update
• Environmental Requirements and Costs
• Ethical Considerations in Litigation Funding
• Ethylene Oxide: Examining the Science & Regulations Driving EtO Litigation
• Climate Change Claims: From CO2 to CGL
• The Spreading, Fate, and Implications of Wastewater-Derived Emerging Contaminants in Our Food and Water Systems
• A Judicial Perspective on Mass Tort Litigation
• Asbestos Litigation: Over-Naming, Trust Transparency and Other Developments
• The Tale of Two Costs: Are Environmental RI/FS Costs Defense or Indemnity?
  Gong off the Rails
• When It Rains It Pours…Mold, Stormwater and Sediment Runoff Claims During Construction
• Are the Wat(t)ers Receding? WOTUS After Sackett
• Emerging Coal Combustion Residuals (CCR) Coverage Issues and Regulations
• Formaldehyde the Next Massive Environmental Concern

To view the full agenda and register, click here.

Maron Marvel Bradley Anderson & Tardy is proud to announce that 25 of its attorneys were selected by their peers for inclusion in the 2024 edition of The Best Lawyers in America®, one of the legal profession’s oldest and most respected peer-review publications, and five attorneys were named among The Best Lawyers in America: Ones to Watch.

 Maron Marvel’s recognized attorneys were drawn from the firm’s offices nationwide. Attorneys were recognized for their work in the practice areas of mass tort litigation/class actions, personal injury, product liability, environmental, and commercial litigation on behalf of defendants.

 Maron Marvel congratulates the following lawyers on being named among the 2024 Best Lawyers in America:

Wilmington, DE

Robert B. Anderson 
Commercial Litigation

Stephanie Fox
Commercial Litigation

Wayne A. Marvel 
Commercial Litigation

Paul A. Bradley 
Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Defendants

Scott W. Henry 
Product Liability Litigation – Defendants

Ridgeland, MS

Samuel D. Habeeb 
Environmental Law
Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Defendants
Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants

David A. Barfield
Litigation – Insurance
Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Defendants

Stefan G. Bourn
Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Defendants
Product Liability Litigation – Defendants

Kay F. Dodge
Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Defendants

Christi G. Jones 
Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Defendants
Product Liability Litigation – Defendants

Kimberly P. Mangum
Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Defendants
Product Liability Litigation – Defendants

John C. McCants III
Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Defendants
Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants
Product Liability Litigation – Defendants

Chan E. McLeod
Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Defendants
Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants
Product Liability Litigation – Defendants

Donald C. Partridge 
Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Defendants
Product Liability Litigation – Defendants

Colleen S. Welch 
Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Defendants
Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants
Product Liability Litigation – Defendants

Richard M. Crump
Product Liability Litigation – Defendants

Charleston, SC

George L. Inabinet Jr.
Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Defendants
Product Liability Litigation – Defendants

Yancey McLeod III
Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Defendants

Houston, TX

Roger H. Nebel
Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Defendants

New Orleans, LA

Robert E. Dille
Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Defendants
Product Liability Litigation – Defendants

Pittsburgh, PA

Joseph R. Schaper 
Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Defendants
Product Liability Litigation – Defendants

Terry A. Schrock
Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Defendants

Dallas, TX

John R. Robinson
Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants

Todd D. Ogden 
Product Liability Litigation – Defendants

Philadelphia, PA

John G. Gaul 
Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants

In addition, five attorneys were named to The Best Lawyers in America: Ones to Watch list, a recognition program spotlighting attorneys who are earlier in their careers. They are:

Liana Nobile* – Jersey City, NJ
Commercial Litigation

Nicholas A. Grest* – New Orleans, LA
Construction Law

Gabrielle Morrison* – Philadelphia, PA
Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Defendants

Joel Cohen* – Philadelphia, PA
Product Liability Litigation – Defendants

Daniel Alexander – Chicago, IL
Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants
Product Liability Litigation – Defendants

*Indicates first-time inclusions

Since it was first published in 1983, Best Lawyers has become universally regarded as the definitive guide to legal excellence. Best Lawyers is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey in which more than 36,000 leading attorneys cast millions of votes on the legal abilities of other lawyers in their practice areas. Because lawyers are neither required nor allowed to pay a fee to be listed, inclusion in Best Lawyers is considered a singular honor. Corporate Counsel magazine has called Best Lawyers “the most respected referral list of attorneys in practice.”

A LAWYER’S LASTING LEGaCY

To honor the life of our colleague Tom Tardy, Maron Marvel has established the Maron Marvel Bradley Anderson & Tardy LLC Scholarship Endowment in Honor of Thomas W. Tardy III. Each year, the University of Mississippi School of Law will award the scholarship to a second or third-year law student with an interest in litigation. Please read the article by UM on the scholarship and Tom.

View the article here: https://www.umfoundation.com/2023/08/07/a-lawyers-lasting-legacy/

For over a decade, talc litigation has been a staple of mass toxic tort practices around the country and persists today. For those who are unfamiliar, talc is a naturally occurring mineral rock mined from the Earth that can occasionally cross paths and mix with asbestos during the mining and production process. When talc and asbestos mix in this setting, the risk of developing an illness arises. Talc came to be known for its fast absorption of moisture and its reduction of friction, properties which made it a common additive to cosmetic and hygiene-related products. For years, talc could be found in an abundance of products, most commonly in various cosmetic products, baby powder, and body powders.

The cases that involve talc are commonly standalone talc exposure cases, or they can include allegations of talc and asbestos exposure. Whichever style of claim is brought, these cases would not exist without the allegations of exposure-related injury, and in talc litigation, like asbestos, that injury is commonly alleged to be the onset of mesothelioma. When a case is filed under both a talc cause of action and an asbestos exposure cause of action, plaintiffs’ attorneys are likely to attempt to develop the theory that the mesothelioma, or other disease, is caused by exposure to both asbestos and talc. In 2022, 11% of asbestos filings also included allegations of talc exposure.

Talc litigation continues to evolve, and a review of the recent claims against industry defendants reveals that the stakes have never been higher. In the last 18 months, from October 2021 to May 2023, there have been a total of nine jury verdicts for cosmetic-only talc matters. The average award being a whopping $29,245,454.00. One reason that many consider why the average jury verdict is so outrageously high for talc-only exposure cases is the personal nature of these claims. Personal in the sense that talc exposure can occur in private, while you’re in a vulnerable state, in the safety of your home, and even with a newborn.

However, not all talc cases return results for the plaintiff. In Cook County, Illinois, a Decedent alleged talc exposure through after bath powder products. The Decedent suffered from mesothelioma and was 73 years old at the time of his death. The jury returned a defense verdict.

Today, due to the growing number of talc cases filed, a few talc suppliers, including Whitaker Clark & Daniels, have had to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. In April 2023, the New York Times reported that Johnson & Johnson has agreed to pay $8.9 billion over the next 25 years to those who claim talcum powder, produced by Johnson & Johnson, caused their cancer. In fact, talc litigation is so critical to Johnson & Johnson’s corporate survival that, according to annual filings, Johnson & Johnson has paid $7.4 billion in litigation expenses between 2020 and 2021, with talc litigation as the primary legal expense.

If this talc litigation trend continues,  subsequent bankruptcies and payouts by companies could occur potentially affecting who is sued, the allegations of exposure, and target defendants. This litigation is only growing, and it will be interesting to see future jury verdicts, bankruptcies, and theories.

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About The Blog

Our environmental law and toxic tort attorneys will provide you with news, legal updates, and commentary on environmental and toxic tort liability issues. We hope you find our content informative and helpful as you deal with the ever-changing challenges toxic tort and environmental matters pose to your organization. To receive updates directly to your inbox, click here.

Disclaimer: The information contained in this publication should not be considered legal advice, is not a substitute for legal counsel, and should not be relied on as such. In some jurisdictions, this is considered advertising. For legal advice or answers to specific questions, please contact one of our attorneys.

Maron Marvel director Donald Partridge will be speaking at this year’s Professional Liability Defense Federation (PLDF) Annual Meeting in Denver, Colorado, from September 27-29. Donald is presenting “Social Inflation: It’s not just the price eggs!” which addresses the alarming rise of excessive verdicts and settlements and its rippling effect on rising litigation costs, increased claims, rate increases, and limit reductions. This presentation will explore what social inflation is, why it’s important, how it affects your case, its causes, and how to combat it.

He will be speaking alongside fellow panelists Peter Dinunzio, Partner at Clyde & Co., and Christopher M. Vlasich, Esq., Assistant Vice President of Financial Lines & Liability at Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty. The panelists will discuss techniques such as plaintiff attorney reptile tactics, cross-anchoring, jury research, and data analytics.

To view the full agenda and register, visit: https://www.pldf.org/events/EventDetails.aspx?id=1747984&group=

Director Mike Connery presented on the panel, “Lessons Learned in a Career in Risk Management,” at Houston RIMS Annual Brunch & Learn. Mike and fellow panelists David Stills, SVP Carrier and Risk Practice at Sedgwick, Cindi Weldon, Ins & Claims Specialist at Chevron Phillips Chemical Company LLP, and Connie Edwards, Managing Consultant, Regulatory Thought Leader at Aon, shared wisdom gleaned from their careers in the risk management and insurance industry.