On December 8-9, 2009, partner Dee Cohen Katz co-chaired the HarrisMartin Benzene Litigation Conference at the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. This conference, titled "Trial of a Gasoline & Solvent MDS/AML Case," was an abbreviated benzene mock trial utilizing top plaintiff and defense trial attorneys from across the country.  Senior associate Karen M. Sullivan of the Orange office assisted in planning the conference, and Thomas Tarkoff of the San Francisco office acted as the defense attorney examining the corporate person most knowledgeable, portrayed by partner Randall Lee.

As benzene exposure cases rarely go to trial, this conference provided the unique opportunity to witness the skills of prominent trial attorneys in this field, in addition to hearing the opinions and testimony from industrial hygiene and toxicology experts concerning the science and exposure issues involved in a benzene case.

A retired judge presided over the trial and the conference concluded with a defense verdict decided by a local jury.  The jury's deliberation was one of the highlights of the program, as the audience viewed the normally secret deliberations via live feed, giving unique insight into the thought processes and opinions of these lay people regarding the facts and evidence presented during the trial.

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