Litigations

2025 Could Mark the Turning Point for AFFF Firefighting Foam Settlements: Key Developments and Expectations for Cancer-Linked Litigations

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WASHINGTON — As the AFFF firefighting foam litigation continues to unfold, victims and legal experts alike eye 2025 with the hope of a significant settlement for personal injury and wrongful death claims related to PFAS exposure. The stakes are particularly high following a $10.3 billion global settlement agreement in 2023 that resolved many water contamination claims filed by municipalities and local water authorities against prominent defendants such as 3M and DuPont. AFFF, or aqueous film-forming foam, has been used extensively in firefighting, particularly in combating fuel fires at airports and military facilities. However, it contains … Read more

Top Attorney Andrew Frankel Champions High-Stakes Insurer Cases in Groundbreaking Litigations

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Andrew Frankel, a seasoned legal expert leading the insurance and reinsurance practice at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP, has been at the forefront of some of the most convoluted coverage disputes in recent years. With a career marked by handling cases involving mass tort litigations, his experience extends to intricate cases related to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and talc-related injuries. Frankel’s involvement in these high-stakes disputes has positioned him as a key player in a field that navigates the complexities of insurance claims and policy interpretations that affect millions of dollars in litigation stakes. … Read more

Unpacking the Burden: How Mass Tort Litigations Inflate Societal Costs

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Washington, D.C. — The high-stakes arena of mass tort litigation is often viewed as a crucial recourse for justice, offering a gateway for numerous plaintiffs to address grievances against corporate giants. However, beneath the surface of these legal battles, often involving faulty products, environmental disasters, or pharmaceutical missteps, lie enormous societal costs that challenge both the economic and judicial landscapes. Mass tort cases are distinct in their structure, combining hundreds or even thousands of individual claims against one or several companies under the scrutiny of a single court. This approach is intended to streamline processes … Read more

Legal Expert Sheds Light on How Businesses Utilize Bankruptcy Strategy to Address Bulk Tort Litigations

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Cambridge, MA — Corporate America is increasingly turning to a contentious strategy known as “Texas two-step” bankruptcy to manage liabilities from mass tort claims, often involving allegations of harm caused by companies’ products. Experts at Harvard Law School explain that this legal maneuver allows companies to separate their liabilities from their assets, potentially shielding them from significant financial fallout while claimants may find themselves facing complex legal battles. The “Texas two-step,” named for its use of Texas business laws, involves a company creating a separate entity into which liabilities are transferred. This subsidiary then files … Read more