In late March, the Practicing Law Institute released the second edition of its treatise on products liability. George D. Sax, Stephanie A. Scharf, Sarah R. Marmor, eds., Product Liability Litigation: Current Law, Strategies and Best Practices, (2nd ed. 2021).
The new edition is now in two volumes, which cover substantive products liability law, as well as legal theory, policy, and strategy considerations important to products liability law, both pursuers and defenders. The work of the editors, Stephanie A. Scharf and her colleagues, George D. Sax and Sarah R. Marmor, in managing this process is nothing short of Homeric. The authors are mostly practitioners, with a wealth of practical experience. There are a good number of friends, colleagues, and adversaries, among the chapters’ authors, so any recommendation I make should be tempered by my disclosure.
Unlike the first edition, the PLI has doubled down on control of the copyright license, and so I am no longer able to upload my chapter on statistical evidence to ResearchGate, Academia.com, or my own website. But here is the outline index to my contribution, Chapter 28, “Statistical Evidence in Products Liability Litigation”:
- 28:1 History and Overview
- 28:2 Litigation Context of Statistical Issues
- 28:3 Qualifications of Expert Witnesses Who Give Testimony on Statistical Issues
- 28:4 Admissibility of Statistical Evidence – Rules 702 and 703
- 28:5 Significance Probability
- 28:5.1 Definition of Significance Probability (The “p-value”)
- 28:5.2 Misstatements about Statistical Significance
- 28:5.3 Transposition Fallacy
- 28:5.4 Confusion Between Significance Probability and Burden of Proof
- 28:5.5 Hypothesis Testing
- 28:5.6 Confidence Intervals
- 28:5.7 Inappropriate Use of Statistics – Matrixx Initiatives
- [A] Sequelae of Matrixx Initiatives
- [B] Is Statistical Significance Necessary?
- 28: 5.8 American Statistical Association’s Statemen on P-Values
- 28:6 Statistical Power
- 28:6.1 Definition of Statistical Power
- 28:6.2 Cases Involving Statistical Power
- 28:7 Evidentiary Rule of Completeness
- 28:8 Meta-Analysis
- 28:8.1 Definition and History of Meta-Analysis
- 28:8.2 Consensus Statements
- 28:8.3 Use of Meta-Analysis in Litigation
- 28:8.4 Competing Models for Meta-Analysis
- 28:8.5 Recent Cases Involving Meta-Analyses
- 28:9 Statistical Inference in Securities Fraud Cases Against Pharmaceutical Manufacturers
- 28:10 Multiple Testing
- 28:11 Ethical Considerations Raised by Statistical Expert Witness Testimony
- 28:12 Conclusion
A detailed table of contents for the entire treatise is available at the PLI’s website The authors and their chapters are set out below.
Chapter 1. What Product Liability Might Look Like in the Twenty-First Century (James M. Beck)
Chapter 2. Recent Trends in Product Claims and Product Defenses (Lori B. Leskin & Angela R. Vicari)
Chapter 3. Game-Changers: Defending Products Cases with Child Plaintiffs (Sandra Giannone Ezell & Diana M. Miller)
Chapter 4. Preemption Defenses (Joseph G. Petrosinelli, Ana C. Reyes & Amy Mason Saharia)
Chapter 5. Defending Class Action Lawsuits (Mark Herrmann, Pearson N. Bownas & Katherine Garceau Sobiech)
Chapter 6. Litigation in Foreign Countries Against U.S. Companies (Joseph G. Petrosinelli & Ana C. Reyes)
Chapter 7. Emerging Issues in Pharmaceutical Litigation (Allen P. Waxman, Loren H. Brown & Brooke Kim)
Chapter 8. Recent Developments in Asbestos, Talc, Silica, Tobacco, and E-Cigarette/Vaping Litigation in the U.S. and Canada (George Gigounas, Arthur Hoffmann, David Jaroslaw, Amy Pressman, Nancy Shane Rappaport, Wendy Michael, Christopher Gismondi, Stephen H. Barrett, Micah Chavin, Adam A. DeSipio, Ryan McNamara, Sean Newland, Becky Rock, Greg Sperla & Michael Lisanti)
Chapter 9. Emerging Issues in Medical Device Litigation (David R. Geiger, Richard G. Baldwin, Stephen G.W. Stich & E. Jacqueline Chávez)
Chapter 10. Emerging Issues in Automotive Product Liability Litigation (Eric P. Conn, Howard A. Fried, Thomas N. Lurie & Nina A. Rosenbach)
Chapter 11. Emerging Issues in Food Law and Litigation (Sarah L. Brew & Joelle Groshek)
Chapter 12. Regulating Cannabis Products (James H. Rotondo, Steven A. Cash & Kaitlin A. Canty)
Chapter 13. Blockchain Technology and Its Impact on Product Litigation (Justin Wales & Matt Kohen)
Chapter 14. Emerging Trends: Smart Technology and the Internet of Things (Christopher C. Hossellman & Damion M. Young)
Chapter 15. The Law of Damages in Product Liability Litigation (Evan D. Buxner & Dionne L. Koller)
Chapter 16. Using Early Case Assessments to Develop Strategy (Mark E. (Rick) Richardson)
Chapter 17. Impact of Insurance Policies (Kamil Ismail, Linda S. Woolf & Richard M. Barnes)
Chapter 18. Advantages and Disadvantages of Multidistrict Litigation (Wendy R. Fleishman)
Chapter 19. Strategies for Co-Defending Product Actions (Lem E. Montgomery III & Anna Little Morris)
Chapter 20. Crisis Management and Media Strategy (Joanne M. Gray & Nilda M. Isidro)
Chapter 21. Class Action Settlements (Richard B. Goetz, Carlos M. Lazatin & Esteban Rodriguez)
Chapter 22. Mass Tort Settlement Strategies (Richard B. Goetz & Carlos M. Lazatin)
Chapter 23. Arbitration (Beth L. Kaufman & Charles B. Updike)
Chapter 24. Privilege in a Global Product Economy (Marina G. McGuire)
Chapter 25. E-Discovery—Practical Considerations (Denise J. Talbert, John C. Vaglio, Jeremiah S. Wikler & Christy A. Pulis)
Chapter 26. Expert Evidence—Law, Strategies and Best Practices (Stephanie A. Scharf, George D. Sax, Sarah R. Marmor & Morgan G. Churma)
Chapter 27. Court-Appointed and Unconventional Expert Issues (Jonathan M. Hoffman)
Chapter 28. Statistical Evidence in Products Liability Litigation (Nathan A. Schachtman)
Chapter 29. Post-Sale Responsibilities in the United States and Foreign Countries (Kenneth Ross & George W. Soule)
Chapter 30. Role of Corporate Executives (Samuel Goldblatt & Benjamin R. Dwyer)
Chapter 31. Contacting Corporate Employees (Sharon L. Caffrey, Kenneth M. Argentieri & Rachel M. Good)
Chapter 32. Spoliation of Product Evidence (Paul E. Benson & Adam E. Witkov)
Chapter 33. Presenting Complex Scientific Evidence (Morton D. Dubin II & Nina Trovato)
Chapter 34. How to Win a Dismissal When the Plaintiff Declares Bankruptcy (Anita Hotchkiss & Earyn Edwards)
Chapter 35. Juries (Christopher C. Spencer)
Chapter 36. Preparing for the Appeal (Wendy F. Lumish & Alina Alonso Rodriguez)
Chapter 37. Global Reach: Foreign Defendants in the United States (Lisa J. Savitt)
