HarrisMartin's California Asbestos Litigation Conference

Conference Agenda

Day 1, Wednesday, December 12, 2012

7:30 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.
Continental Breakfast and Registration

9:00 a.m. - 9:15 a.m.
Welcome by Co-Chairs

Michael L. Armitage, Waters, Kraus & Paul, Los Angeles
Stephen M. Nichols, McKenna Long & Aldridge, Los Angeles
James N. Sinunu, Sinunu Bruni LLP, San Francisco
Stephen M. Tigerman, Harowitz & Tigerman, LLP, San Francisco


9:15 a.m. - 9:45 a.m.
Coordination of Southern California Asbestos Cases

• What were the Goals of Coordination?
• Have they Been Achieved?
• What Impact is the Court’s Budget Having on the Coordinated Cases?
• What Does the Future Hold?
David A. Rosen, Rose, Klein & Marias, LLP, Los Angeles
Frank D. Pond, Pond North, Los Angeles
James N. Sinunu, Sinunu Bruni LLP, San Francisco


9:45 a.m. - 10:25 a.m.
Making the Most of Settlement Conferences – Tips and Requests from the Court

• Southern California
• Northern California
Judge Helen I. Bendix, California Superior Court, Los Angeles County, Los Angeles
Judge Teri L. Jackson, California Superior Court, San Francisco County, San Francisco

Jeffrey B. Simon, Simon Greenstone Panatier & Bartlett, Dallas
Jennifer A. Cormier, Walsworth Franklin Bevins & McCall, San Francisco
Stephen Nichols, McKenna, Long & Aldridge, LLP, Los Angeles
Jennifer Judin, DeHay & Elliston, LLP, Oakland, CA


10:25 a.m. - 10:35 a.m.
Refreshment Break

10:35 a.m. - 11:15 a.m.
Appellate Court Decisions

• National Decisions that May Impact California Litigation
• Are We Seeing the Future of California Law?
• How Has the Court’s Gate-Keeping Role Changed?
• California Decisions
Linda Tatka, Claims Director, Asbestos Unit/Historic Claims Department, AZRS-Resolution Service, Fireman's Fund Insurance Company, Novato, CA
Paul W. Kalish, Crowell & Moring, Washington, DC
G. Jeff Coons, Gordon & Rees, LLP, San Francisco
Brian P. Barrow, Simon Greenstone Panatier Bartlett, Long Beach, CA


11:15 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
The Current Status of Asbestos Litigation in California – Perspectives from the Bench

Judge Emilie H. Elias, California Superior Court, Los Angeles County, Los Angeles
Judge Teri L. Jackson, California Superior Court, San Francisco County, San Francisco

Moderated By:
Michael L. Armitage, Waters, Kraus & Paul, Los Angeles
Stephen M. Nichols, McKenna Long & Aldridge, Los Angeles
James N. Sinunu, Sinunu Bruni LLP, San Francisco
Stephen M. Tigerman, Harowitz & Tigerman, LLP, San Francisco


12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Lunch

Sponsored by Horvitz & Levy

Horvitz & Levy


1:00 p.m. - 1:40 p.m.
Punitive Damages in Asbestos Cases

• The Tri-Partite Relationship and Advising Your Client Early on About Potential Exposure
• Jury Instructions
• Special Verdict Form Language
Curt Cutting, Horvitz & Levy, Los Angeles
Lisa Perrochet, Horvitz & Levy, Los Angeles
Paul C. Cook, Waters, Kraus & Paul, Los Angeles


1:40 p.m. - 2:20 p.m.
Pretrial In Asbestos Cases – A Perspective from the Bench

• Motions in Limine
Judge Curtis E.A. Karnow, California Superior Court, San Francisco 
County, San Francisco
Jerry C. Popovich, Selman Breitman, Santa Ana, CA
Stephen M. Tigerman, Harowitz & Tigerman, LLP, San Francisco


2:20 p.m. - 2:35 p.m.
Refreshment Break

2:35 p.m. - 3:15 p.m.
The Trial of An Asbestos Case - A Perspective from the Bench

• Openings
• Trial Exhibits
• Lay & Expert Witnesses
• Verdict Forms
Judge Ernest Goldsmith, California Superior Court, San Francisco County, San Francisco
James N. Sinunu, Sinunu | Bruni LLP, San Francisco
Patrick DeBlase, DeBlase Brown Eyerly LLP, Los Angeles
Sharla J. Frost, Powers & Frost, Houston


3:15 p.m. - 3:50 p.m.
The 13th Juror – The Internet, Facebook, Twitter, Etc.

• Jury Admonitions and Instructions
• Cases that Have Addressed this Issue
J. Lee Meihls, Ph.D., Trial Partners, Inc., Beverly Hills, CA
Stephen M. Nichols, McKenna, Long & Aldridge, Los Angeles
Jennifer Bartlett, Simon Greenstone Panatier Bartlett, P.C., Long Beach, CA


3:50 p.m. - 4:25 p.m.
The Use of Memory Experts in Asbestos Cases

Charles A. Weaver III, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience, Baylor University, Waco, TX
Matthew K. Ashby, McKenna, Long & Aldridge, LLP, Los Angeles
Jonathan A. George, Waters Kraus & Paul, Los Angeles


4:25 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Deposition Limits – An Update on AB 1875

• How Do We Proceed From Here?
Brian S. Kabateck, Kabateck Brown Kellner LLP, Los Angeles
Mary McKelvey, McKenna, Long & Aldridge, LLP, Los Angeles
Thomas J. Mikula, Goodwin Procter, Washington, DC
Michael L. Armitage, Waters, Kraus & Paul, Los Angeles


5:00 p.m. - 5:10 p.m.
Closing Remarks

Michael L. Armitage, Waters, Kraus & Paul, Los Angeles
Stephen M. Nichols, McKenna Long & Aldridge, Los Angeles
James N. Sinunu, Sinunu Bruni LLP, San Francisco
Stephen M. Tigerman, Harowitz & Tigerman, LLP, San Francisco


5:10 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.
Networking Cocktail Reception