CRN Adds Must-Attend Session to Annual Conference Line-up—7-5-3: Everything You Need to Know to Stem the Tide of Consumer Litigation

WASHINGTON, D.C., August 20, 2013—Nine of the 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 your company protect itself against the rising tide of class-action lawsuits during The Conference, CRN announced today.  The Conference: CRN’s Annual Symposium for the Dietary Supplement Industry takes place Sept. 18-21 at The Montage Deer Valley in Park City, Utah.

According to CRN’s President & CEO Steve Mister, “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.”  Mr. Mister, who is also an attorney, added “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, LLP
  • Why “Natural” Claims Can Get You Into Trouble—Ashish Talati, Amin Talati, LLC
  • Prop 65: What Can You Do Before You Are Sued—Trent Norris, Arnold & Porter LLP
  • How Non-Compliance with FDA Regulations Can Create a Private Cause of Action for Consumers—Claudia Lewis, Venable LLP
  • Marketing and Advertising Claims: The Top Five Claim-Related Issues That Can Cause Your Consumers to Sue You—Ivan Wasserman, Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP
  • Litigation Avoidance Starts with Product Development—Some Tips from Your Lawyer for Your R&D Team—Mark Mansour, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP
  • The Best Defense is a Strong Offense—Tipping the Scales of Justice in Your Favor During Litigation—Livia Kiser, Loeb & Loeb LLP
  • Lanham Act Violations: Another Opportunity for Lawsuits—Paul Rubin, Ropes & Gray LLP
  • Additional topic and speaker to be announced

Said Mr. Mister, “CRN is fortunate to have ten highly respected law firms as associate members, and we are fortunate that eight of their partner-level attorneys were available for this panel so our conference participants—both member companies and non-member companies—have the opportunity to experience first-hand why these firms maintain their stature and reputation.”

For more information, please visit: www.crnusa.org/2013events.


Note to the editor: The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), founded in 1973, is a Washington, D.C.-based trade association representing 100+ dietary supplement manufacturers, ingredient suppliers, and companies providing services to those manufacturers and suppliers. In addition to complying with a host of federal and state regulations governing dietary supplements in the areas of manufacturing, marketing, quality control and safety, our manufacturer and supplier members also agree to adhere to additional voluntary guidelines as well as to CRN’s Code of Ethics. Visit www.crnusa.org andwww.lifesupplemented.org. Follow us on Twitter @crn_supplements and @wannabewell and on Facebook.