Defending Fraud Claims in Consumer Class Actions

Mitigate the Enormous Financial Risks Associated with Consumer Product Fraud Class Actions—Consumer protection statutes arm consumers and the plaintiff’s bar with a powerful weapon for suing consumer products manufacturers, retailers, wholesalers, and service providers. Not only can plaintiffs recover actual damages, but many state consumer protection statutes allow for treble damages in addition to an award of attorney’s fees. Recent examples of the financial burden incurred as a result of these lawsuits include a financial company which settled consumer protection cases for US$215 million and an online payment company which agreed to pay US$5.2 million to settle deceptive practices claims.

Defending against claims brought under state consumer protection statutes is no small task—you must manage public media attacks while developing creative arguments to combat the case on the merits. You must also mine discovery to your client’s advantage and develop a settlement strategy that will minimize risk and foreclose future liability.

Because these types of “economic injury” cases are easier to certify as class actions, defense counsel needs specific strategies to defend consumer fraud allegations. ACI’s Defending Consumer Product Fraud Class Actions is the only conference to recognize the unique and daunting task of defending cases brought pursuant to consumer protection statutes. This conference has been specifically designed to provide consumer products manufacturers, retailers, wholesalers, and service providers with the best strategies for early disposition of cases, tips for defeating broad claims, and tactics for managing parallel civil and government proceedings. This conference will enable you to prepare for your next consumer product claim with winning results.

Ms. Wilson will be speaking on Monday, October 15 at 4:00 on Settling Consumer Protection Cases: Minimizing Liability and Foreclosing Future Claims.