| Time (Central) | Session |
|---|
| 8:00 a.m. | Coffee & Pastries at DRI Headquarters |
| 8:30 a.m. | Welcome and Introductions |
| 8:45 a.m. | PFAS Litigation Update: Defense Trends and Exposure Management PFAS litigation continues to evolve in state and federal courts across the country. Learn about the latest developments in the AFFF MDL as well as litigation in other federal and state courts across the country. This session will explore the various personal injury, property damage, water contamination and natural resources claims raised by plaintiffs. Whether you’re involved in PFAS litigation or simply want to keep clients informed of the latest developments, this session will provide an overview of where PFAS litigation stands and what’s likely to come next. Peter Condron, Crowell & Moring LLP, Washington, D.C.
Paul Calfo, Husch Blackwell LLP, Los Angeles, CA |
| 9:45 a.m. | Technical Tools for PFAS Litigation: Fate and Transport, Forensics, and Treatment Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) present significant regulatory, legal, and economic risks for property owners, public entities, insurers, lenders, and manufacturers. This session will feature expert discussion on technical tools available for PFAS matters, including fate and transport assessments, source identification and environmental forensic evaluations, and treatment technologies for drinking water, groundwater, soil, and other environmental media. Panelists will provide a state-of-practice overview of these topics and discuss their application to litigation strategy, settlement evaluations, and trial preparation. Two case studies will highlight how technical analyses can be used to evaluate alternative PFAS sources and how treatment technologies can be employed to manage PFAS-related risks and potential liabilities. Moderator
Peter Condron, Crowell & Moring LLP, Washington, D.C. Dylan Eberle, Geosyntec Consultants, Acton, MA
John Merrill, Geosyntec Consultants, San Francisco, CA |
| 10:45 a.m. | Break |
| 11:00 a.m. | PFAS Regulatory Update for Defendants and Regulated Companies Manufacturers, importers, and retailers are moving from the first wave of PFAS product reporting deadlines into a new phase of ongoing disclosure, supply-chain diligence, and enforcement risk. Join this discussion of lessons learned from early adopting states, including how companies are managing incomplete supplier information, responding to customer inquiries, updating product data, documenting reasonable diligence, and assessing exemptions across a rapidly evolving patchwork of state and federal requirements. As reported information becomes publicly accessible, companies will also need to anticipate how regulators, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), customers, and the media may use PFAS disclosures to identify products, challenge claims, and otherwise generate legal risk for companies. Moderator
Graham Zorn, Beveridge & Diamond PC, Washington, D.C. Elizabeth N. Morrow, Beveridge & Diamond PC, Washington, D.C. |
| 12:00 p.m. | DRI Networking Lunch (On-Site) |
| 12:45 p.m. | PFAS Insurance Issues: Coverage, Tender, and Defense Coordination Discuss how insurers and policyholders are addressing PFAS-related claims, with attention to notice and tender issues, historical and current policy language, pollution exclusions, emerging PFAS-specific exclusions, allocation disputes, and practical considerations for preserving coverage positions while coordinating defense, indemnity, and internal risk-management objectives. |
| 1:45 p.m. | Break |
| 2:00 p.m. | PFAS Blood Testing: Science, Experts, and Litigation Implications PFAS blood testing is increasingly raised in litigation, community investigations, and settlement demands, but methods and results have important scientific constraints and legal limitations. This session will help civil litigation defense lawyers and in-house counsel understand what blood tests for PFAS can and cannot show, current public health guidance, and how testing evidence may relate to causation for health effects, class certification, damages, medical monitoring claims, and defense strategy in PFAS-related litigation. Linda Dell, MS, Ramboll, Amherst, MA
Dominique Savinelli, Husch Blackwell LLP, Chicago, IL |
| 3:00 p.m. | Adjourn |