Mass Tort Webinar Series Part 3: E-Discovery in Mass Torts

The American Association for Justice (AAJ) hosted the third installment of its four-part Mass Tort Webinar Series on March 24, 2026, focusing on "E-Discovery in Mass Torts." This online event, conducted via Zoom, addressed the complexities and challenges associated with electronic discovery in mass tort litigation.

The session covered several critical topics, including:

- **Discovery Battle Deadlines**: Discussing timing challenges, handling overlapping requests and protective orders, and strategies for negotiating rolling productions and proportionality limits.

- **Limitation of Scope**: Exploring arguments for proportionality under Rule 26(b)(1), utilizing technology-assisted review (TAR) to narrow document sets, and defining custodians and search terms effectively to reduce disputes.

- **Cross-Platform ESI Collection**: Managing discovery from social media, internal chats (Teams, Slack), and mobile devices, while addressing privacy, privilege, and metadata preservation issues.

- **Vendor Oversight**: Ensuring compliance with Rule 5.3 regarding nonlawyer assistance and considering ethical implications when outsourcing data processing and hosting.

The webinar featured insights from experts such as Mark Abramowitz of DiCello Levitt in Cleveland, OH; Chad S. Roberts of eDiscovery CoCounsel, PLLC in Jacksonville, FL; and Cara Wall Bullock of Bullock Legal Group in Acworth, GA. These professionals shared their expertise on navigating the intricate landscape of e-discovery in mass tort cases.

This event was particularly beneficial for legal professionals involved in mass tort litigation, including attorneys, paralegals, and legal support staff, who sought to enhance their understanding and management of electronic discovery processes.