The trucking and transportation industry has been disproportionately affected by nuclear verdicts and settlements over the last decade. While the plaintiff reptile methodology is partly responsible for some of these enormous verdicts, several other key factors are clearly driving the increased frequency of plaintiff verdicts with exceptionally high damages. Many pundits have hypothesized that “millennial jurors” are largely to blame, however jury decision-making analyses from real and mock trials has revealed contrary results. This program is designed to provide defense attorneys, claims specialists, and in-house counsel in the trucking/transportation industry with a deep analysis of the causes of nuclear verdicts, as well as proven tactics to avoid these disastrous outcomes. The industry has the chance to use the current “timeout on the field” to reassess and refine their case assessment, file handling, witness preparation, and trial tactics in an effort to turn the tables on the plaintiffs’ bar.

            ·         Trucking and transportation defense attorneys 

            ·         Claims specialists

            ·         In-house counsel 

            ·         Risk managers

            ·         C-level executives in the trucking and transportation industry

What You Will Learn

            ·         The history and evolution of nuclear verdicts: how did we get here?

            ·         The five proven causes of nuclear verdicts, regardless of industry, and how to prevent them  

            ·         Why the trucking and transportation industry is especially susceptible to nuclear verdicts

            ·         How reptile tactics cause nuclear verdicts in the trucking and transportation industry

            ·         The likely effect of COVID-19 on jury decision-making in trucking/transportation cases

Speakers

Bill Kanasky, Jr., Ph.D., is the vice president of litigation psychology at Courtroom Sciences, Inc., a full-service, national litigation consulting firm. Dr. Kanasky is recognized as a national expert, author and speaker in the areas of advanced witness training and jury psychology and is the nation’s leading authority on recognizing, derailing, and defeating the plaintiff reptile strategy.

Michael H. Bassett is senior partner at The Bassett Firm in Dallas. He has been representing truck drivers and trucking company for over 32 years and is a frequent speaker on handling trucking cases. A member of DRI, Mr. Bassett also belongs to the American Bar Association (Litigation Section), Dallas Bar Association, American Trucking Association, Texas Association of Defense Counsel, International Association of Defense Counsel, Association of Defense Trial Attorneys, and American Transportation Lawyers Association.

Peter A. Dubrawski is a partner at Haight Brown & Bonesteel LLP. He is leader of the Transportation Law Practice Group and is also a member of the Product Liability, Business Solutions and Construction Law Practice Groups. His practice is concentrated on transportation and products liability cases. Mr. Dubrawski also has experience in complex commercial litigation. He has specifically handled contract disputes, commercial landlord/ tenant disputes and real estate litigation. He has also successfully tried commercial landlord/tenant and real estate cases.

John M. Nunnally is an experienced trial lawyer with Ragsdale Liggett PLLC. John has 25 years of experience and practices in the areas of civil litigation and insurance defense, focusing on trucking/transportation law, construction law, and products liability. He serves on the DRI Trucking Law Steering Committee. 

Mark A. Perkins is the managing partner of Perkins & Associates, L.L.C, a regional defense firm serving all of North Louisiana and East Texas. Mark has conducted numerous seminars for the trucking and insurance industries regarding the defense of complex litigation claims, particularly trucking claims.