Conference at Buffalo: Recent Developments in Tort Law and Practice

Todd Brown (Buffalo) is chairing a conference entitled “Recent Developments in Tort Law and Practice” with Kenneth Feinberg as the Gerald S. Lippes Lecture Speaker.  The conference is October 6, 2014 from 8:45 until 5:00 at the Hyatt Regency Buffalo.  Registration is here.  The schedule:

7:30 a.m.  Conference and keynote registration begins
8:45 –10:00 a.m.  Breakfast and Gerald S. Lippes Lecture featuring Kenneth R. Feinberg.  Mr. Feinberg is an attorney who has overseen the payouts of billions of dollars to the victims of the September 11 Victim Compensation Fund, the BP oil spill, and the Boston Marathon bomb victims, among other highly visible settlements. 

10:20 – 11:20 a.m. Aggregation and Disaggregation in Mass Torts: Panelists discuss the recent trend in some mass tort MDLs away from global settlement in favor of individual claim litigation and settlement in state court.

11:30 a.m. –12:15 p.m. Lunch

12:15 – 1:30 p.m. Judges from New York City and Western New York discuss their experience with asbestos litigation.

1:40 – 2:40 p.m. Asbestos Litigation in New York: Panelists discuss legislative reforms at the state and federal levels and recent changes to asbestos practice in NYS courts.

2:50 – 3:50 p.m. Update on the RAND ICJ Asbestos Bankruptcy Project: Early findings from the RAND study on the impact of the bankruptcies of asbestos defendants on asbestos litigation in state court, with commentary from panelists.

4:00 – 5:00 p.m. The Past, Present and Future of the New York “Scaffold Law”: A detailed examination of New York’s unique approach to strict liability in construction accident cases, including the origins and evolution of the law in recent years.

5:00 p.m.  Reception.  Sponsored in part by the SUNY Buffalo Law Alumni Association.