Discovery Issues Unique to Mass-Tort MDLs

co-hosted by Charleston School of Law — March 13, 2025

The Center will hold a Bench-Bar Leadership Summit on Discovery Issues Unique to Mass-Tort MDLs at the Charleston School of Law on March 13, 2025. The summit will identify problems unique to mass-tort MDLs regarding controlling ediscevery, electronically stored information review and production, early Rule 34 requests, including discovery in previous related cases, depositions, privilege logs, and experts as well as perhaps artificial intelligence issues.

Fifteen federal judges will join 25-30 practicing lawyers and other experts on five panels considering potential solutions to the identified problems. Registrations for the summit will be limited to a maximum of 10 additional lawyers and other experts. The smaller size and the addition of more federal judges will ensure an in-depth analysis and enhance the likelihood that courts will adopt the practical solutions recommended in the Center’s forthcoming best practices.

Promises that greater lawyer cooperation, more active judicial case management, and stricter adherence to proportionality standards will resolve the ediscovery problem have not been realized. Although these approaches are successful in some one-off cases, the results have been uniformly disappointing in mass-tort MDLs, where terabytes of data are collected and processed, and millions of virtually useless documents are produced despite experienced judges who are active case managers who encourage parties to cooperate and comply with Rule 26 proportionality standards.

Instead of doubling down on existing best practices, perhaps there is another solution. Join the Center at its bench-bar Discovery Summit at the Charleston School of Law on March 13, 2025, as 15 federal judges and 25-30 plaintiff and defendant lawyers go beyond the familiar and dig deep into reshaping the lawyers’ incentives that, if left unchecked, will continue what everyone agrees is an entirely silly ediscovery system, wasting millions of dollars with both sides reviewing millions of useless documents in mass-tort MDLs.

The summit will discuss ways to protect against gaming proposed processes, including strengthening the random-sampling validation method, preventing unfair manipulation of the selected discovery method, and developing practical and effective in camera examination processes.

Other discovery issues unique to mass-tort MDLs regarding depositions, privilege logs, and experts will also be examined at the summit.

A few panelist slots remain open, but because of the costs incurred, panelists are asked to pay the full registration fee. Please contact the Center if you are interested at contact@rabiejcenter.org.

CHATHAM HOUSE RULE

The summit will be held under the Chatham House Rule: “[P]articipants are free to use the information received, but neither the identity nor the affiliation of the speaker(s), or that of any other participant, may be revealed.”

Registration

The registration fee for the summit is $950, which includes conference materials, a continental breakfast, coffee breaks, lunch, and grab-and-go snacks at adjournment. Two or more lawyers registering from the same law firm receive discounts (single registrant – $950; second registrant – $750; and third and each additional registrant – $600). In-house and company discounts are available.

CLE

The New Jersey state bar has approved CLE credit for 435 minutes (8.70 credits) for attending the summit.

Summit Details

Agenda

Discovery Issues Unique to Mass-Tort MDLS Bench/Bar Leadership Summit, Charleston School of Law (March 13, 2025)

AGENDA

Wednesday, March 12

6:00 pm — 6:30 PM Reception: 6:30 pm – 9:00 pm: Dinner at Harbor Club at Westedge, 7th Floor, 22 Westedge Building (Rubris Inc. Sponsor)

Thursday, March 13

Location: Charleston School of Law, Library, 385 Meeting Street

7:45 am — 8:30 am: Continental Breakfast, Second Floor

8:30 am – 8:45 am: Opening Remarks — John Rabiej and Edward Bell III, President Emeritus & Chairman of the Board, Charleston School of Law

ASSIGNED TOPICS AND QUESTIONS TO INDIVIDUAL PANELISTS

8:45 am – 10:15 am: Panel 1 – Controlling eDiscovery

Moderator: Professor Allyson Stuart, Charleston School of Law

Sletvold, Ashlie — Peiffer Wolf Carr Kane Conway & Wise LLP
Alpert, Jen — Rubris, Inc.
Greenblatt, Jennifer — Goldman Ismail Tomaselli Brennan & Baum LLP
Rocha, Rene — Morgan & Morgan
Coan, Geoffrey – Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP
Johnson, Bill – TCDI
Hon. Conti, Joy Flowers — Western District of Pennsylvania

10:15 am – 10:30 am: Break

10:30 am – 12:00 pm: Panel 2 – Electronically Stored Information

Moderator: Professor Frank Ulmer, Charleston School of Law

Dykstra, Lisa — Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP
Bilsborrow, James — Weitz & Luxenberg PC
McConnell, Stephen — Reed Smith LLP
Belt, William – CDS, Complete Discovery Source Inc.
Zogby, Michael — Barnes & Thornburg LLP
Hon. Weisman, David – Northern District of Illinois
Hon. Jones, Gary – Northern District of Florida
Hon. Johnston, Iain – Northern District of Illinois

12:00 pm — 12:45 pm: Lunch, Second Floor

12:45 pm – 2:15 pm: Panel 3 – Deposition

Moderator: Professor Allyson Stuart, Charleston School of Law

Ruehlmann, Greg – King & Spalding LLP
Ruane, Sarah — Wagstaff & Cartmell LLP
Sharko, Susan – Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP
Goodman, Eric — Brown Rudnick LLP
Schwartz, Steven — Chimicles Schwartz Kriner & Donaldson-Smith LLP
Hon. Kelley, Page – District of Massachusetts
Hon. Fitzpatrick, Martin – Northern District of Florida
Hon. North, Michael – Eastern District of Louisiana

2:15 pm – 2:30 pm: Break

2:30 pm – 4:00 pm: Panel 4 – Privilege Logs

Moderator: Professor Frank Ulmer, Charleston School of Law

Hon. Boal, Jennifer – District of Massachusetts
Brown, Greg — Fleming, Nolen & Jez, L.L.P.
Citera, Francis – Greenberg Traurig, LLP
McClure, Shannon – Blank Rome LLP
Doolittle, Paul — Poulin | Willey | Anastopoulo LLC
McDonald, Beena — Chimicles Schwartz Kriner & Donaldson-Smith LLP
Hon. Conti, Joy Flowers — Western District of Pennsylvania

4:00 pm – 5:15 pm: Panel 5 – Experts

Moderator: Professor Allyson Stuart, Charleston School of Law

Rotolo, Peter – Chaffe McCall, LLP
Jones, Alyson – Butler Snow LLP
Merrell, Cliff — Greenberg Traurig LLP
Hon. Rosenstengel, Nancy – Southern District of Illinois

5:15 pm: Adjournment Grab-and-Go Snacks

Attendees

PANELISTS’ BIOS (DOWNLOAD)

Attendees

Hon. Boal, Jennifer — District of Massachusetts
Hon. Conti, Joy Flowers — Western District of Pennsylvania
Hon. Fitzpatrick, Martin — Northern District of Florida
Hon. Jones, Gary — Northern District of Florida
Hon. Johnston, Iain — Northern District of Illinois
Hon. Kelley, Page — District of Massachusetts
Hon. North, Michael — Eastern District of Louisiana
Hon. Norton, David — District of South Carolina
Hon. Rosenstengel, Nancy — District of Southern Illinois
Hon. Weisman, M. David — Northern District of Illinois
Alpert, Jen — Rubris Inc.
Ash, Jesse — Reed Smith LLP
Bell, Ed — Rubris Inc.
Belt, Bill — CDS, Complete Discovery Source Inc.
Bilsborrow, Jacksy — Weitz & Luxenberg PC
Brown, Greg — Fleming, Nolen & Jez, L.L.P.
Citera, Francis — Greenberg Traurig, LLP
Coan, Geoffrey — Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP
DeLuca, Nicholas — Alvarez & Marsal
Diette, Dan — CDS, Complete Discovery Source Inc.
Doolittle, Paul — Poulin | Willey | Anastopoulo LLC
Dykstra, Lisa — Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP
Gatto, Frank — Verita
Goodman, Eric — Brown Rudnick LLP
Greenblatt, Jennifer — Goldman Ismail Tomaselli Brennan & Baum LLP
Johnson, Bill — TCDI
Jones, Alyson — Butler Snow LLP
Little, April — Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP
McClure, Shannon — Blank Rome LLP
McConnell, Stephen — Reed Smith LLP
McDonald, Beena — Chimicles Schwartz Kriner & Donaldson-Smith LLP
Merrell, Cliff — Greenberg Traurig LLP
Mitchell, Gale — Rabiej Litigation Law Center
Monroe, Chelsea — Motley Rice LLC
Opsitnick, Tim — TCDI
Raab, Timothy — Alvarez & Marsal
Rabiej, John — Rabiej Litigation Law Center
Regard, Dan — iDiscovery Solutions
Rocha, Renee — Morgan & Morgan
Rotolo, Peter — Chaffe McCall, LLP
Ruane, Sarah — Wagstaff & Cartmell LLP
Ruehlmann, Greg – King & Spalding LLP
Schwartz, Steven — Chimicles Schwartz Kriner & Donaldson-Smith LLP
Sletvold, Ashlie — Peiffer Wolf Carr Kane Conway & Wise LLP
Stuart, Allyson — Charleston School of Law
Tatting, Troy — Verita
Ulmer, Frank — Charleston School of Law
Waldron, Jim — Rabiej Litigation Law Center
Zogby, Michael — Barnes & Thornburg LLP

Materials

MASS-TORT MDL COMPENDIUM OF GUIDELINES AND BEST PRACTICES, Rule 16.1 Discovery Excerpt, Rabiej Litigation Law Center (October 29, 2024) (Download)

PANEL 1 — CONTROLLING ESI VOLUME

Core Discovery Problem Described in Center’s OPES (Download)
OPES, Rabiej Litigation Law Center (Download)
Summary of Panelists’ Remarks at Mass-Tort MDL Flash Points Conference, General Cost and Discovery (October 7-8, 2021) (Download)
Keywords and then TAR, In Re: Allergan Biocell Textured Breast Implant Prod. Liab. Litig., MDL 19-2921, Doc. 406 (October 25, 2022) (Download)
TAR Protocol and Random Sampling, 3M Combat Arms Earplug (Highlighted), Pretrial Order #12, MDL 19-2885 (July 1, 2019) (Download)
Random Sampling, In Re: Allergan Biocell Textured Breast Implant Prod. Liab. Litig., MDL 19-2921, Doc. 462 (January 16, 2024) (Download)
Random Sampling,There Is No One Size Fits All Sample Size Appropriate for TAR Validation (Part II), Lilith Bat-Leah, Association of Certified E-Discovery Specialists (ACEDS) (March 12, 2020) (Download)
Amicus Brief Supporting Defendant’s Unilateral Decision on Discovery Responsiveness (Highlighted), Actavis Holdco US, Inc., v. State of Conn., writ of certiorari denied (March 5, 2020) (Download)
Plaintiff’s Objections to Defendant’s Unilateral Decision on Discovery Responsiveness (Highlighted), Actavis Holdco US, Inc., v. State of Conn., writ of certiorari denied (Download)
Prior Discovery Productions, In Re: Bard Implanted Port Catheter Prod. Liab. Litig., MDL 23-3081, Doc. 117 (November 22, 2023) (Download)
Prior Discovery Productions, In Re: 3M Combat Arms Earplug Prod. Liab. Litig., MDL 19-2885, Doc. 443 (June 17, 2019) (Download)
Centralized Medical-Release Authorizations and Collection of Records by Single Court-Designated Vendor, General Asbestos Litigation Case Management Order, Superior Court of State of California, County of Los Angeles (July 8, 2022) (Download)

PANEL 2 — ESI REVIEW AND PRODU CTION

Comprehensive ESI Protocol, In Re: Bard Implanted Port Catheter Prod. Liab. Litig., MDL 23-3081, Doc. 117 (November 22, 2023) (Download)
Comprehensive ESI Protocol, In Re: Philips Recalled CPAP, Bi-Level PAP, and Mechanical Ventilator Prod. Litig., MDL 21-1230, Doc. 660 (July 21, 2022) (Download)
Comprehensive ESI Protocol, In Re: Juul Labs, Inc. Prod. Litig., MDL 19-2913, Doc. 323 (December 17, 2019) (Download)
Comprehensive ESI Protocol, In Re: 3M Combat Arms Earplug Prod. Liab. Litig., MDL 19-2885, Doc. 443 (June 17, 2019) (Download)
Production of ESI, In Re: Paragard IUD Prod. Liab. Litig., MDL 20-2974, Doc. 128 (June 14, 2021) (Download)
Plaintiff’s Letter in Support of Native-Format Production, In Re: Allergan Biocell Textured Breast Implant Prod. Liab. Litig., MDL 19-2921, Doc. 127 (June 5, 2020) (Download)
Native-Format Production, In Re: Philips Recalled CPAP, Bi-Level PAP, and Mechanical Ventilator Prod. Litig., MDL 21-1230, Doc. 660 (July 21, 2022) (Download)
TIFF Image Format Production, In Re: Elmiron (Pentosan Polysulfate Sodium) Prod. Liab. Litig., MDL 20-2973, Doc. 2 (December 18, 2020) (Download)
Limits on Number of Custodians, In Re: Bard Implanted Port Catheter Prod. Liab. Litig., MDL 23-3081, Doc. 465 (March 5, 2024) (Download)
Limits on Number of Custodians, In Re: Elmiron (Pentosan Polysulfate Sodium) Prod. Liab. Litig., MDL 20-2973, Doc. 2 (December 18, 2020) (Download)
Number of Custodians, Dale v. Deutsche Telekom AG and T-Mobile US, Inc., No. 22 C 3189 (Highlighted) (N.D. Ill. Oct. 4, 2024) (Download)
Use of TAR, In Re: Elmiron (Pentosan Polysulfate Sodium) Prod. Liab. Litig., MDL 20-2973, Doc. 2 (December 18, 2020) (Download)

PANEL 3 — DEPOSITIONS

Deposition Guidelines, Manual for Complex Litigation, 4th Ed. Federal Judicial Center (2004) (Download)
Deposition Protocol, In Re: Bard Implanted Port Catheter Prod. Liab. Litig., MDL 23-3081, Doc. 617 (April 23, 2024) (Download)
Deposition Protocol, In Re: Allergan Biocell Textured Breast Implant Prod. Liab. Litig., MDL 19-2921, Doc. 427 (May 5, 2023) (Download)
Deposition Protocol, In Re: Philips Recalled CPAP, Bi-Level PAP, and Mechanical Ventilator Prod. Litig., MDL 21-1230, Doc. 946 (December 12, 2022) (Download)
Deposition Attendance, In Re: Elmiron (Pentosan Polysulfate Sodium) Prod. Liab. Litig., MDL 20-2973, Doc. 2 (December 18, 2020) (Download)
In Extremis Depositions, In Re: Philips Recalled CPAP, Bi-Level PAP, and Mechanical Ventilator Prod. Litig., MDL 21-1230, Doc. 605 (June 8, 2022) (Download)

PANEL 4 — PRIVILEGE LOGS

Amendments to Fed. R. Civ. 26(b)(5), effective December 1, 2025 (dealing with privilege logs) (Download)
Privilege Log, In Re: Paragard IUD Prod. Liab. Litig., MDL 20-2974, Doc. 128 (June 14, 2021) (Download)
Privilege Log Protocol, In Re: Bard Implanted Port Catheter Prod. Liab. Litig., MDL 23-3081, Doc. 528 (April 4, 2024) (Download)
Privilege Log Protocol, In Re: Philips Recalled CPAP, Bi-Level PAP, and Mechanical Ventilator Prod. Litig., MDL 21-1230, Doc. 661 (July 21, 2022) (Download)
Privilege Log Protocol, In Re: Elmiron (Pentosan Polysulfate Sodium) Prod. Liab. Litig., MDL 20-2973, Doc. 2 (December 18, 2020) (Download)
Comment Submitted to Advisory Committee on Civil Rules on Privilege Log Rule Proposal, Winston & Strawn, USC-RULES-CV-2023-0003-0039 (February 14, 2024) (Download)

PANEL 5 — EXPERTS

Summary of Panelists’ Remarks at Mass-Tort MDL Flash Points Conference, Daubert (October 7-8, 2021) (Download)
Expert Disclosures Deadlines, In Re: Bard Implanted Port Catheter Prod. Liab. Litig., MDL 23-3081 (November 22, 2023) (Download)
Expert Compensation, In Re: Philips Recalled CPAP, Bi-Level PAP, and Mechanical Ventilator Prod. Litig., MDL 21-1230, Doc. 491 (March 29, 2022) (Download)
Expert Compensation, In Re: Social Media Adolescent Addiction/Personal Injury Prod. Liab. Litig., MDL 22-3047, Doc. 169 (March 6, 2023) (Download)

Registration

Regular Registration — $950.

Multiple Registrations —Two or more lawyers registering from the same law firm receive discounts (single registrant – $950; second registrant – $750; and third and each additional registrant – $700).

In-House Counsel Discount —The registration fee for in-house counsel whose company does not provide a budget for continuing education and training is $250.

Please check the “Other Registration” box under “Registration Type” and insert the discounted fee amount.