2021 Year in Review: Class Actions

2021 has brought new developments for class action law affecting companies in various industries.

Program Content:

• CAFA Exceptions
• Personal Jurisdiction
• Rule 23 Requirements
• Article III Standing
• Other Class Issues
• New Mass Arbitration Rules
 
Join Jonathan Claydon, Chris Dodrill, Rob Herrington and Gretchen Miller for an in-depth discussion of trends from the past year as well as practical "best practices" and risk management advice for the future.
 

Jonathan H. Claydon focuses his practice on complex litigation and class action defense with broad experience representing clients in the financial services industry arising from lending and retail banking operations, including Ponzi scheme and other fraud-related matters. His banking and financial services clients include national and retail banks, credit unions, mortgage lenders, broker-dealers, and investors. Recently, Jon has been centrally involved in COVID-19 related litigation, helping establish new and important precedent for financial institutions, including the management of nationwide teams handling cases touching on all aspects of the Paycheck Protection Program. Jon also has experience defending clients in class actions in a variety of industries, including consumer and retail products, automotive and food and beverage.
 
 
Christopher S. Dodrill counsels and represents corporate and individual clients in federal and state courts in Texas and other jurisdictions across the country. Chris has a diverse litigation practice that includes complex commercial disputes, business torts, financial services litigation, data privacy actions, legal malpractice defense, and internal investigations. Chris has significant experience in multi-district litigation and class action defense.
 
Chris also has high-level experience in state government. As a Deputy Attorney General in West Virginia, Chris supervised a team of 20 lawyers and oversaw litigation involving the administration of the state Medicaid program, services for children and families, public employee grievances, public health issues, state licensing and regulatory boards, and state psychiatric hospital management. Chris also supervised an appellate caseload of approximately 200 cases annually, personally briefing over 50 cases in state and federal courts and arguing 14 times before the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia.
 
 
Robert J. Herrington, Co-Chair of the firm’s Class Action Litigation Group, focuses his practice on defending consumer products companies in complex, multi-party litigation, including class actions, government enforcement litigation, product defect litigation and mass torts. Rob represents companies in a variety of industries, including apparel and footwear, retail, emerging technologies, consumer electronics, video game, telecommunications, advertising and publicity, online retailing, food and beverage, nutritional supplements, personal care products, sports and fitness, outdoor equipment, home appliances, automotive, and insurance.
 
Rob is the author of the best-selling book, Verdict for the Defense (Sutton Hart Press 2011), and a co-author of The Class Action Fairness Act: Law and Strategy (ABA Publishing 2013) and Class Action Strategy and Practice Guide (ABA Publishing 2018). Rob was recognized as the "Class Action Litigation Lawyer of the Year" (2017) by the Century City Bar Association. In 2013, 2014 and 2015, Rob was named in Law360's list of "Top Attorneys Under 40" for Class Actions.
 
 
Gretchen N. Miller is the Co-Chair of the Products Liability & Mass Torts Practice and focuses her practice in toxic tort, product liability, and class action litigation in state and federal courts. She is a trial lawyer with experience, both as first and second chair trial counsel, defending manufacturers against claims of product defect for industrial, automotive, and medical products on a national basis. As national counsel for manufacturers of industrial products, Gretchen oversees products liability litigation nationwide and counsels clients on risk management strategies. She also has wide-ranging experience litigating complex and mass tort litigation, both in the products liability and toxic tort context.
 
In addition to her litigation practice, Gretchen counsels manufacturers, distributors and retailers regarding product safety issues and regulatory compliance. Her practice includes counseling clients on compliance with federal and state regulations, including regulations enforced by the Consumer Product Safety Commission and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and providing guidance with recalls and recall procedures.
 

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