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2025 PRODUCT LIABILITY ROUNDTABLE FILING INFORMATION
Approximately 5.5 hours of CLE credit in 60-minute states and 6.6 hours of CLE credit in 50-minute states has been requested for accreditation from all mandatory continuing legal education jurisdictions where we had registrants as of August 28. Opening Remarks, Closing Remarks, and Networking Breaks are not available for CLE credit.
How to Obtain CLE Credit:
*You must sign-in on the attendance sheet onsite at the meeting.*
Shortly after the program, you will receive an email from CEU Institute with a link to enter your state bar information and the programs you attended. Once complete, you will receive a Certificate of Attendance with this information and instructions on the reporting requirements for the state(s) where you are licensed. The online form does include a place to enter information regarding teaching credits, etc.
IMPORTANT
The link/portal will stay open for 2 WEEKS. You MUST complete the online form by September 26th to have your credits reported.
For any follow-up questions on CLE credits, please email the CEU Institute at [email protected].
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Tuesday, September 16, 2025
9:15 a.m. - 10:15 a.m. (60 General CLE Minutes)
Party Crashers: The Implications of AI and Data Privacy on the Mitigation, Defense, and Policy Making in Products Liability
10:40 a.m. - 11:40 a.m. (60 General CLE Minutes)
When Coming Together Can Tear Us Apart: Trends in Aggregated and Consolidated Litigation
1:00 p.m. - 1:45 p.m. (45 General CLE Minutes)
Fall Back/Spring Ahead: A Review of the Most Pivotal Product Liability Decisions in the Last Year and a Preview of Issues and Cases to Watch
1:45 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. (45 General CLE Minutes)
International Update: Key Product Liability Developments from Canada, Europe, and Australia
2:55 p.m. - 3:55 p.m. (60 General CLE Minutes)
New Frontiers in Product Liability: Recent Attention on UPFs, Alcohol, and Supplements May Grow with the Trump Administration’s Backing of “Make America Healthy Again”
3:55 p.m. - 4:55 p.m. (60 General CLE Minutes)
What Now? How In-House Counsel are Reacting to Developments in Product Liability Litigation
2025 PRODUCT LIABILITY ROUNDTABLE CLE MATERIALS
Below you will find the CLE schedule with materials for the 2025 Product Liability Roundtable.
Under each CLE program description, CLE materials are listed. Please click each hyperlink to access that specific CLE material. If you have any issues accessing these materials, please contact Melisa Maisel Vanis, Director of Meetings and Professional Development, at [email protected] or Diana Leon, Communications and Operations Manager, at [email protected].
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16
8:30 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.
Registration
9:00 a.m. – 9:15 a.m.
Welcome and Introductions
J. Dominic Campodonico, 2025-2026 IADC President, Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani, LLP, San Francisco, CA USA
Sharon L. Caffrey, Program Co-Chair, Duane Morris LLP, Philadelphia, PA USA
Grant Worden, Program Co-Chair, Torys LLP, Toronto, ON Canada
9:15 a.m. – 10:15 a.m. (60 General CLE Minutes)
Party Crashers: The Implications of AI and Data Privacy on the Mitigation, Defense, and Policy Making in Products Liability
Companies across the globe are in a race to be the most efficient, highest performing, and greatly desired manufacturers of products. This race is sponsored by business innovation and fueled by technology. AI and data privacy have created a conflict where manufacturers use data received from consumers to propel advancement of products and increase market share in a space where use of that information can lead to litigation and violation of laws and regulations. This panel will take us on ride of trends in software case law likely to impact future AI case law, data privacy concerns where liability falls along the supply chain, and how traditional concepts of duty, causation, design defect, and foreseeability could be applied in cases involving AI.
Moderator: Marc E. Williams, Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough, LLP, Huntington, WV USA
Speakers: Sarah-Jane Dobson, Ashurst LLP, London, United Kingdom; Jeffrey Huang, Textron Specialized Vehicles, Augusta, GA USA; Laura Sexton, Goldman Ismail Tomaselli Brennan & Baum LLP, Chicago, IL USA
Materials:
10:15 a.m. – 10:40 a.m.
Networking Break
10:40 a.m. – 11:40 a.m. (60 General CLE Minutes)
When Coming Together Can Tear Us Apart: Trends in Aggregated and Consolidated Litigation
Recent doctrinal changes, as well as shifts in the legal profession, have altered the nature of aggregated litigation—a development nowhere more important than when confronting product liability claims. This panel will discuss a broad range of topics relevant to formation and management of aggregated and consolidated litigation. Key subjects include current trends in decisions by the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation in federal product liability cases, as well as the status of state mechanisms to consolidate lawsuits. Panelists will also discuss the changing face of procedural and substantive limitations on MDLs and other mass litigation, such as rules excluding unreliable scientific evidence and jurisdictional limitations on which cases can be included in consolidated litigation within a single state or district.
Moderator: Larissa Eustice, Bayer Corporation, Whippany, NJ USA
Speakers: Amy K. Fisher, McCarter & English, LLP, Carmel, IN USA; Evan Holden, Greenberg Traurig, LLP, Atlanta, GA USA; Maha M. Kabbash, Tucker Ellis LLP, Morristown, NJ USA
Materials:
11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Networking Lunch
1:00 p.m. – 1:45 p.m. (45 General CLE Minutes)
Fall Back/Spring Ahead: A Review of the Most Pivotal Product Liability Decisions in the Last Year and a Preview of Issues and Cases to Watch
A lot can happen in one year. Since the last Product Liability Roundtable, there have been thousands of precedential court decisions issued across the country. It is almost impossible for one practitioner to keep up on everything. This panel will update you on the decisions from the past year that have reverberations on product liability practice across the country. It will also highlight product liability issues and cases to watch until we meet again next year.
Speakers: Katie Maechler, Maslon LLP, Minneapolis, MN USA; Tonya G. Newman, Neal, Gerber & Eisenberg LLP, Chicago, IL USA; Mark K. Silver, Schenck, Price, Smith & King LLP, Florham Park, NJ USA
Materials:
1:45 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. (45 General CLE Minutes)
International Update: Key Product Liability Developments from Canada, Europe, and Australia
Product liability laws and procedures are in a constant state of flux around the globe, and it is critical for coordinating defense counsel and in-house counsel to be aware of these developments. This panel, organized in lightning round format, will focus on key updates from Canada, Europe, and Australia and will offer valuable insights into emerging trends, regulatory changes, and landmark cases. Topics discussed will include the EU Product Liability Directive, a report on the status of class action litigation in Australia and government claims for healthcare costs, and the class certification test in Canada. Participants will gain a deeper understanding of how product liability laws are evolving across different jurisdictions, equipping them with the tools to better navigate cross-border legal challenges and stay ahead in an increasingly interconnected marketplace.
Speakers: Sarah J. Armstrong, Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP, Toronto, ON Canada; Henning Moelle, Taylor Wessing, Frankfurt, Germany; Gregory Williams, Clayton Utz, Sydney, Australia
Materials:
2:30 p.m. – 2:55 p.m.
Networking Break
2:55 p.m. – 3:55 p.m. (60 General CLE Minutes)
New Frontiers in Product Liability: Recent Attention on UPFs, Alcohol, and Supplements May Grow with the Trump Administration’s Backing of “Make America Healthy Again”
Food, alcohol, and supplements are under increasing scrutiny due to health concerns and evolving research regarding risk. Recent reports of a link between ultra-processed foods (UPFs) and common health issues, and the U.S. Surgeon General’s advisory regarding alcohol’s role in cancer risk, pose challenges and potential minefields for food and beverage companies. In the dietary supplement industry, navigating consumer protection statutes and deciphering FDA actions present further challenges. This session will explore how regulation, law, and consumerism intersect to impact product liability litigation in the food, beverage, and supplement industries at a time when the overall health of the country is receiving heightened scrutiny from the new administration.
Moderator: Jason C. Rose, Venable LLP, Baltimore, MD USA
Speakers: Kelly Jones Howell, Harris Beach PLLC, New York, NY USA; Effie Silva, Del Monte, Miami, FL USA
Materials:
3:55 p.m. – 4:55 p.m. (60 General CLE Minutes)
What Now? How In-House Counsel are Reacting to Developments in Product Liability Litigation
This experienced panel of in-house counsel will offer insights into how they are responding to some of the latest trends and developments addressed during the 2025 IADC Product Liability Roundtable. They will discuss AI and data privacy issues, talk about management of mass tort litigation and what they expect plaintiffs’ counsel to focus on next, and address how their companies are responding to changing international laws and the emerging “duty to innovate” in the U.S. These in-house leaders will also offer advice for how external counsel can help them adapt to an ever-changing legal and regulatory landscape.
Moderator: Whitney Frazier Watt, Stites & Harbison, PLLC, Louisville, KY USA
Speakers: Robyn Buck, Bayer U.S., Saint Louis, MO USA; Jennifer Grewe, Konecranes, Lebanon, OH USA
Materials:
4:55 p.m. - 5:10 p.m.
Closing Remarks
Sharon L. Caffrey, Program Co-Chair, Duane Morris LLP, Philadelphia, PA USA
Grant Worden, Program Co-Chair, Torys LLP, Toronto, ON Canada
5:15 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Cocktail Reception