On July 11 Senator Mark Pryor and Attorney General Karl Racine, formerly of Venable, were on a panel hosted by IADC, "The Attorney General Is Calling: Perspectives on Notable AG Lawsuits and the Private Firms with Whom They Partner." The panel was sponsored by the Drug, Device and Biotechnology Committee; the Insurance and Reinsurance Committee; the Product Liability Committee; the Toxic and Hazardous Substances Litigation Committee; and the White Collar Defense and Investigation Committee.
The panel addressed recent attorney general suits against manufacturers and a trend of hiring plaintiffs' law firms to pursue these cases on behalf of states.
Topics included:
- Preparing for increased criminal and civil enforcement actions in such areas as products liability, consumer fraud, off-label, anti-kickback, and false claims
- How enforcers identify companies for investigation
- Best practices for responding to a government investigation
- Exploring the practical implications of AGs' contingency-fee arrangements with plaintiffs' counsel
- Analyzing the steady trend of staggering penalties and fines in these cases
James A. King, of Porter Wright Morris & Arthur, LLp, Columbus, Ohio, was the moderator.
The speakers were The Honorable Mark L. Pryor, Venable LLP, Washington, DC; The Honorable Karl A. Racine, Attorney General for the District of Columbia; and Richard E. Wallace, Jr., of Crowell Moring, Washington, DC.