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Determining Trial Type In Complex Toxic Tort And Environmental Cases, Richard Faulk

Richard Faulk

Generally, there are four trial options available for dealing with complex multi-party cases, although they can be blended or combined in a number of ways. They include: a conventional plenary trial for all plaintiffs and all defendants on all issues; one or more separate trials on issues, such as limitations or causation; "pilot" or "bellwether" trials for selected plaintiffs against all defendants on all issues; and class actions where the claims of class representatives are tried in a plenary fashion. This article examines these options and their relative benefits and disadvantages.