Our team of litigators has extensive experience defending and counseling a number of industry clients and insurers in complex litigation, including class-actions, mass-tort actions, and federal Multi-District Litigation (MDL).
A class action is a procedural device where an individual or small group of individuals files suit in state or federal court on behalf of absent class members. Class action proceedings take place in stages, and courts first determine whether Plaintiffs meet the threshold requirements for a maintainable class action—a process called class certification.
Mass tort actions or “mass actions” typically involve hundreds or even thousands of plaintiffs who are joined in a single action. These matter are often involve “trial flights,” where a small group of plaintiffs pursue their claims before a judge or jury. Like class actions, mass actions involve multiple claimants who allege injuries resulting from a common cause.
MDL cases occur when civil actions involving one or more common questions of fact are pending in different federal districts. Often these cases involve major events or allegations of injury spreading across several states or an entire region. Recently New Orleans has become a hub for multi-district litigation. Our attorneys have experience working “on the front lines” in New Orleans and assisting clients involved in MDLs in other states.
These complex legal matters require our professionals to draw on their existing familiarity with areas of exposure science including environmental toxicology, medical causation, and industrial hygiene.