Stephanie Scharf Showcases Product Liability Opening Statement at ABA Section of Litigation Annual Meeting

Stephanie Scharf was invited by the American Bar Association Section of Litigation to present a mock opening statement at a Showcase Program of  the Section’s  Annual Meeting on May 3, 2019 in New York City entitled, David v. Goliath: An Opening Statements Showdown Between Small Firm and Big Firm Litigators.   The case involved strict liability claims over  the death of a child, which was allegedly caused by a defective toy.   Representing the defendant toy company, Ms. Scharf’s opening emphasized key facts showing that the toy did not have any defects when it was sold to the child’s family, and that the toy was not the proximate cause of the child’s death.  The opening was judged by Hon. Stanley R. Chesler of the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, and Hon. Eva Martinez Guzman of the Texas Supreme Court.  The plaintiff’s opening was given by John Zavitsanos, Houston, TX.  Other lawyers who participated were Bruce Nagel, Roseland, NJ,  and Karen Bitar, New York, NY.