Washington, D.C., May 7, 2015—Class action lawsuits are a thriving business for plaintiffs’ attorneys who are increasingly setting their sights on the dietary supplement and functional food industry. To provide some relief, the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), the leading trade association for the dietary supplement and functional food industry, and Informa Exhibitions, a leading knowledge provider, today announced an industry-wide webinar titled “Class Action Lawsuits: Understanding the Current Landscape to Reduce Your Risk.” Taking place June 9 from 2–4 pm Eastern, the webinar will feature top legal experts who will discuss best advertising, labeling and marketing practices in the current climate to help companies avoid becoming targets of litigation, and offer advice on what companies need to know if they are sued.
“Those of us watching the industry closely from a legal perspective know that there’s been an increase in class action lawsuits against dietary supplement companies in recent years, and it doesn’t look as though this trend will subside anytime soon. Plaintiffs’ class action litigators actively follow the news—and FDA and FTC enforcement actions—as a way to target companies,” said Rend Al-Mondhiry, regulatory counsel, CRN. “In addition, the New York Attorney General’s ongoing investigation into herbal supplements may boost the number of cases brought by legal bounty hunters. Though no company can be completely immune from the threat of class action lawsuits, there are steps to take to help protect your company and avoid being an easy target.”
Ms. Al-Mondhiry will moderate a panel of attorneys who will address those steps, providing an overview of the current class action lawsuit landscape complete with discussion of recent cases and valuable takeaways to inform strategy. In addition, the panel will explain business practices that companies should implement to reduce their risk of becoming a defendant in a class action lawsuit.
Presenters include: Geoffrey W. Castello, partner, Kelley Drye & Warren LLP; Elizabeth M. Chiarello, partner, Sidley Austin LLP; and Ron Y. Rothstein, partner, Winston & Strawn LLP. An additional presenter will be announced soon.
The registration fee for the webinar—$149 for CRN members and $199 for non-members—is a per registration site fee, so multiple people may participate in the webinar from a single site, such as a company’s conference room. This fee also includes unlimited access to the on-demand recording of the webinar for 90 days. The webinar is appropriate for CEOs, top-level management, legal counsel, and regulatory and marketing executives. Additional details and registration information are available at: www.crnusa.org/webinars-informa/classaction.