Cities and counties recently have been playing a more prominent role in initiating large-scale litigation against corporate defendants, claiming damages to themselves and their residents based on a variety of alleged harms. The massive litigation stemming from the opioid epidemic—in which over 2,000 cities and counties across the country have brought suit against pharmaceutical companies—is only the most prominent example. Municipalities have also lately brought suits asserting a range of alleged environmental harms, including from climate change, as well as alleged harms arising from data-privacy breaches. As illustrated by these areas, these cases often concern widespread harms that are the subject of heavy media attention.

This teleforum will explore the impact of this surge in municipal litigation, which is raising concerns in a number of quarters, including among state leaders. Among other concerns, statewide officials have begun to question the efficacy of piecemeal litigation of matters of statewide concern. These lawsuits also evidence the expansion of other harmful litigation trends, such as the use of contingency-fee agreements that incentivize plaintiffs’ counsel but reduce recoveries for victims. The teleforum will address these concerns, as well as the reforms that states might enact to reduce the incidence and impact of municipal litigation.

Featuring:
-- Dave Yost, Attorney General of Ohio
-- Jonathan Skrmetti, Chief Deputy Attorney General of Tennessee
-- Elbert Lin, Partner and Co-chair, Issues and Appeals, Hunton Andrews Kurth