CRN's Annual Symposium for the Dietary Supplement Industry to host panel on guarding against class-action suits

WASHINGTON — Nine top legal minds in the dietary supplement/functional food industry will participate in an innovative, cut-to-the-chase, panel-style presentation addressing nine topics to help companies protect themselves against the rising tide of class-action lawsuits during The Conference, the Council for Responsible Nutrition announced Tuesday.  

“Frivolous lawsuits are one of the greatest challenges facing our industry today, threatening innovation and costing companies a fortune in attorney fees and lost staff time," stated Steve Mister, CRN president and CEO. “Until our country takes a serious look at tort reform, the situation will continue to get worse; however, there are things that companies can do to help minimize the red bulls-eye on their back.”

The session format will feature nine attorneys focusing on nine topics in 90 minutes. Each speaker will have up to seven minutes to present his or her topic using no more than five slides (not counting the title slide), and answering just three questions. After all the speakers have completed the 7-5-3 portion of the presentation, each attorney will spend the next 30-minute coffee break at his or her dedicated table, informally taking additional questions and engaging in dialogue on his or her particular topic with conference participants. 

The session speakers and topics include:

• Five Aspects of Your Dietary Supplement Label That May Lead to Product Liability Litigation And How to Correct Them — Justin Prochnow, Greenberg Traurig;


• Why “Natural” Claims Can Get You Into Trouble — Ashish Talati, Amin Talati;


• Prop 65: What Can You Do Before You Are Sued — Trent Norris, Arnold & Porter;


• How Non-Compliance with FDA Regulations Can Create a Private Cause of Action for Consumers — Claudia Lewis, Venable;


• Marketing and Advertising Claims: The Top Five Claim-Related Issues That Can Cause Your Consumers to Sue You — Ivan Wasserman, Manatt, Phelps & Phillips;


• Litigation Avoidance Starts with Product Development, Some Tips from Your Lawyer for Your R&D Team — Mark Mansour, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld;


• The Best Defense is a Strong Offense, Tipping the Scales of Justice in Your Favor During Litigation — Livia Kiser, Loeb & Loeb; and


• Lanham Act Violations: Another Opportunity for Consumer Lawsuits — Paul Rubin, Ropes & Gray.

An additional topic and speaker will be announced, the association noted. 

The Conference: CRN’s Annual Symposium for the Dietary Supplement Industry takes place Sept. 18 to 21 at The Montage Deer Valley in Park City, Utah.

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