Mass-tort Bankruptcies bench-bar leadership summit
George Washington University School of Law
November 14, 2024
The number of significant mass-tort bankruptcy filings is rising, e.g., LTL Management (J & J Talcum Powder), 3M Combat Earplug, Hair Relaxer, Boy Scouts, and Opioid bankruptcies. The interplay between bankruptcy and the tort system, often involving an MDL, raises issues of first impression. The bench and bar have struggled to develop effective and fair practices and procedures to meet these new challenges.
The Center will hold a bench-bar leadership summit addressing issues arising in mass-tort bankruptcies at the George Washington University School of Law on November 14, 2024. The summit will address:
- the proposed amendment of Bankruptcy Rule 9031 to permit a bankruptcy judge or a district judge to appoint a special master in a bankruptcy case or proceeding;
- the state attorneys general parens patriae claims overriding injured parties’ claims;
- the revision of proof of claims to require additional information for tort claims, including evidence supporting them;
- guidance on: (i) communication and collaboration between the MDL transferee judge and bankruptcy judge; and (ii) consultations between the bankruptcy court and MDL leadership counsel to discuss the status of attorney’s fee arrangements; and
- addressing consequences of the Supreme Court’s Purdue Pharma ruling, which prohibits nonconsensual, nondebtor releases.
The Center has begun forming the panels for this summit, giving priority consideration to its advisory-council members. If you are well experienced with any of the panel topics and would like to be considered as a panelist, please contact the Center 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 405 minutes (8.1 credits) for attending the summit.
Summit Details
- Agenda
- Attendees
- Materials
- Registration
- Sponsors
- CLE
Mass-Tort Bankruptcy Bench/Bar Leadership Summit
George Washington University School of Law (November 14, 2024)
Wednesday, November 13
6:00 pm — 6:30 pm: Reception, George Washington University School of Law (Tasher Room, 716 20th Street NW, between G & H Streets) — Sponsor: Rubris, Inc.
6:30 pm — 9:00 pm: Dinner, George Washington University School of Law — Sponsor: Rubris, Inc.
Thursday, November 14
Location: Moot Courtroom
7:45 am — 8:30 am: Breakfast, George Washington University School of Law
8:30 am – 8:45 am: Opening Remarks
8:45 am – 10:15 am: Panel 1 – Addressing consequences of Supreme Court’s Purdue Pharma ruling, which prohibits nonconsensual, nondebtor releases.
Moderator: Professor Alan Morrison, George Washington School of Law
- Maclay, Kevin — Caplin & Drysdale LLP
- Harrison, Kathryn — Campbell & Levine LLC
- Greenspan, Deborah — Blank Rome LLP
- Molton, David — Brown Rudnick LLP
- Hon. Goldblatt, Craig — United States Bankruptcy Court, District of Delaware
- Hon. Grabill, Meredith — United States Bankruptcy Court, Eastern District of Louisiana
- Hon. Gunn, Elizabeth — United States Bankruptcy Court, District of Columbia
10:15 am – 10:30 am: Break
10:30 am – 12:00 pm: Panel 2 – Revising proof-of-claim form in bankruptcy to require additional information for tort claims, including some evidence of exposure or injury
Moderator: Professor Michael St. Patrick Baxter, George Washington School of Law
- Goodman, Eric — Brown Rudnick LLP
- Bilsborrow, Jacksy — Weitz & Luxenberg PC
- Beausoleil, William — Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP
- Davis, Kevin — Caplin & Drysdale LLP
- Posin, Kimberly — Latham & Watkins LLP
- Hon. Silverstein, Laurie — United States Bankruptcy Court, District of Delaware
- Hon. Poslusny, Jerrold — United States Bankruptcy Court, District of New Jersey
- Hon. Chapman, D. Shelley — United States Bankruptcy Court S.D.N.Y. (ret.), Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP
12:00 pm — 12:45 pm: Lunch
12:45 pm – 2:00 pm: Panel 3 – State Attorneys General parens patriae claims overriding injured parties’ claims
Moderator: Professor Roger Trangsrud, George Washington School of Law
- Ryan, Abigail — National Association of Attorneys General
- Khan, Umair — Office of New York State Attorney General
- Hinchcliff, Abigail — Olson Grimsley LLP
- Dockterman, Michael — Steptoe LLP
- Hon. Fitzgerald, F. Judith — United States Bankruptcy Court W.D.Pa. (ret.), Tucker Arensberg PC
- Hon. Cyganowski, Melanie — United States Bankruptcy Court E.D.N.Y. (ret.), Otterbourg PC
- Hon. Sherwood, John — United States Bankruptcy Court, District of New Jersey
2:00 pm – 2:15 pm: Break
2:15 pm – 3:45 pm: Panel 4 – Amending Bankruptcy Rule 9031 to permit a bankruptcy or district judge to appoint a special master in a bankruptcy case or proceeding
Moderator: Professor Michael St. Patrick Baxter, George Washington School of Law
- Russo, Gary — Jones, Walker LLP
- Feinberg, Ken — Law Office of Ken Feinberg, PC
- Reisman, Ellen — Reisman Greene Theis LLP
- Relkin, Ellen — Weitz & Luxenberg LLP
- Hon. Falk, Mark — District of New Jersey (ret.), Walsh Pizzi O’Reilly Falanga LLP
- Hon. Hillman, Noel — District of New Jersey (ret.), Gibbons PC
- Hon. Kaplan, Michael — United States Bankruptcy Court, District of New Jersey
- Hon. Lefkow, Joan — Northern District of Illinois
3:45 pm – 5:15 pm: Panel 5 – Guidance on: (i) communication and collaboration between MDL transferee judge and bankruptcy judge; and (ii) consultations between bankruptcy court and mass-tort MDL leadership counsel to discuss status of attorney’s fee arrangements in MDLs
Moderator: Professor Alan Morrison, George Washington School of Law
- Andrews, Anne — Andrews & Thornton
- Meyer, Peter — Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP
- Togut, Al — Togut, Segal & Segal LLP
- Alpert, Jen — Rubris, Inc.
- Feinberg, Ken — Law Office of Ken Feinberg, PC
- Hon. Gerber, Robert — United States Bankruptcy Court S.D.N.Y. (ret.), Joseph Hage Aaronson LLC
- Hon. Caldwell, Karen — Eastern District of Kentucky (Chair, JPML)
5:15 pm: Adjournment Grab-and-Go Snacks
Attendees
- Hon. Caldwell, Karen — Eastern District of Kentucky (Chair, JPML)
- Hon. Chapman, D. Shelley — United States Bankruptcy Court S.D.N.Y. (ret.), Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP
- Hon. Cyganowski, Melanie — United States Bankruptcy Court E.D.N.Y. (ret.), Otterbourg PC
- Hon. Falk, Mark — District of New Jersey (ret.), Walsh Pizzi O’Reilly Falanga LLP
- Hon. Fitzgerald, F. Judith — United States Bankruptcy Court W.D.Pa. (ret.), Tucker Arensberg PC
- Hon. Gerber, Robert — United States Bankruptcy Court S.D.N.Y. (ret.), Joseph Hage Aaronson LLC
- Hon. Goldblatt, Craig — United States Bankruptcy Court, District of Delaware
- Hon. Grabill, Meredith — United States Bankruptcy Court, Eastern District of Louisiana
- Hon. Gunn, Elizabeth — United States Bankruptcy Court, District of Columbia
- Hon. Hillman, Noel — District of New Jersey (ret.), Gibbons PC
- Hon. Kaplan, Michael — United States Bankruptcy Court, District of New Jersey
- Hon. Lefkow, Joan — Northern District of Illinois
- Hon. Poslusny, Jerrold — United States Bankruptcy Court, District of New Jersey
- Hon. Sherwood, John — United States Bankruptcy Court, District of New Jersey
- Hon. Silverstein, Laurie — United States Bankruptcy Court, District of Delaware
- Alpert, Jen — Rubris, Inc.
- Andrews, Anne — Andrews & Thornton
- Baxter, Michael St. Patrick – Covington & Burling LLP
- Beausoleil, William — Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP
- Bell, Ed — Rubris, Inc.
- Bilsborrow, Jacksy — Weitz & Luxenberg PC
- Busch, Lisa — Simmons Hanly Conroy LLP
- Davis, Kevin — Caplin & Drysdale LLP
- Deluca, Nicholas — Alvarez & Marsal
- Dockterman, Michael — Steptoe LLP
- Durrer, Van — Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP
- Feinberg, Ken — Law Office of Ken Feinberg, PC
- Goodman, Eric — Brown Rudnick LLP
- Gordon, Francine — Verita Global
- Greenspan, Deborah — Blank Rome LLP
- Harrison, Kathryn — Campbell & Levine LLC
- Hinchcliff, Abigail — Olson Grimsley LLP
- Hurford, Mark — Sacculo Legal LLC
- Kent, Emily — pwc
- Khan, Umair — Office of New York State Attorney General
- Koul, Sahil — Paul LLP
- Maclay, Kevin — Caplin & Drysdale LLP
- Meyer, Peter — Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP
- Molton, David — Brown Rudnick LLP
- Morrison, Alan — George Washington University School of Law
- Peterman, Nancy — Greenberg Traurig LLP
- Posin, Kimberly — Latham & Watkins LLP
- Reisman, Ellen — Reisman Greene Theis LLP
- Relkin, Ellen — Weitz & Luxenberg LLP
- Reyburn, Robert — Alvarez & Marsal
- Russo, Gary — Jones, Walker LLP
- Ryan, Abigail — National Association of Attorneys General
- Sacculo, Anthony — Sacculo Legal LLC
- Scharf, Ilan — Pachulski Stang Ziehl & Jones LLP
- Thompson, John — pwc
- Togut Al — Togut, Segal & Segal LLP
- Trangsrud, Roger — George Washington University School of Law
A. Proposed Amendment to Fed. Bk. R. 9031
- Proposed Amendment to Fed. R. Bk. P. 9031
- Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 53
- 28 U.S.C. § 651 — Alternative Dispute Resolution
- Memorandum from Subcommittee on Business Issues to Advisory Committee on Bankruptcy Rules Addressing Suggestions for Amending Rule 9031 (August 6, 2024)
- American Bar Association Letter Supporting Proposed Amendment to Fed. R. Bk. P. 9031
- Bankruptcy Rule 9031: Out of Date and Out of Touch — Why an Amendment is Long Overdue, Mark Conlan and Noel Hillman, ALM/Law.com (June 7, 2024)
- It Is Time to Enhance Judicial Efficiency by Amending Rule 9031, Sylvia Mayer American Bankruptcy Institute Journal (2024)
- ACAN Bench Book 2024 Ed., Section 1: Role of Neutrals (list of various types of duties) Academy of Court-Appointed Neutrals
B. Proof of Claim Form
- Proof of Claim (Personal Injury Talc Claim), LTL Managemnt LLC, 23-12825 (July 12, 2023)
- Plaintiff Profile Form (abbreviated fact sheet), In Re Bard Implanted Port Catheter Prod. Liab. Litig. MDL No. 3081
- Judicial Management of Mass Tort Bankruptcy Cases, Elizabeth Gibson, Federal Judicial Center, pp. 75-78 (2005) (examples of attachments to proof of claim forms)
- U.S. Attorneys’ Manual: Criminal Resource Manual (851. False Claims — 18 U.S.C. § 152(4)
- Motion of the Official Committee of Talc Claimants Authorizing an Estimation of Current Talc Claims, LTL Managament, LLC, Case 23-12825, Doc. No. 1020-1 at p. 3 (Bankr. N.J. July 7, 2023) (describes addition of 60,000 new claimants in LTL 2).
C. State Attorneys’ General Role in Mass-Tort Bankruptcies
- Data on Local Government Entities Filing Parens Patriae Claims, National Association of Attorneys General (2024)
- Mass Tort Bankruptcy Goes Public, William Organek, 77:3:72 Vanderbilt L. Rev. 723 (2024) (state attorneys general control of mass-tort bankruptcies)
- The Mass Tort Claimant’s Bargain, Daniel Bussel, 97:4 American Bankrutcy Law Journal 684 (2023) (background information on mass-tort bankruptcies)
D. Nonconsensual, Nondebtor Releases
- Supreme Court Ruling in Harrington v. Purdue Pharma (Prohibiting nonconsensual, nondebtor releases)
- I Shall (Not) Be Released: With Purdue Pharma Decision, US Supreme Court Remakes Chapter 11 Landscape, Chiappetta, Ferguson, Shaf, and Gross, Mayer Brown, (July 9, 2024).
- In Re: Highland Capital Management L.P., 48 F.4th 419, 435-439 (5th Cir. 2022) (discussion of non-debtor exculpation, injunctions, and gatekeeper provisions)
- Jacoby, Melissa, Sorting Bugs and Features of Mass Tort Bankruptcies, 101 Texas Law Review 1745 (2023) (raising concerns about treatment of future claimants)
E. Interface Between Mass-Tort MDL and Mass-Tort Bankruptcy Processes
- Multiple Filings in District Court and Bankruptcy Courts, Manual for Complex Litigation, § 20.1, Fourth Edition, Federal Judicial Center (2004).
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.
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New Jersey has approved 405 minutes (8.1 CLE credits) for participating in the summit.
For those seeking CLE credit, a signed “Uniform Certificate of Attendance,” a “Notification of CLE Course Accreditation,” and the “Uniform Application for Approval of Continuing Legal Education” will be forwarded to you after the summit for completion and submission to your state bar to receive CLE credit. Several states have reciprocity with New Jersey, which means that you will need only to submit the “Certificate of Attendance.”
For those states that do not extend reciprocity, you will also need to submit the “Uniform Application for Approval of Continuing Legal Education.” This form requires you to attach: (i) Time Schedule/Agenda; (ii) Table of Contents; (iii) Faculty Description; (iv) Complete Set of Materials, and (v) Fees. The requested information is posted on this site under the Agenda, Panelists (including Panelists’ Bios), Materials, and Registration tabs below Summit Details.
A handful of states require their own forms or additional information. If they require additional information, please send a request to Click Here along with the requested information.