West Virginia Managing Partner Marc Williams will address “Theories of Civil Liability for Data Security Breaches” at the 2018 Annual Meeting & 50th Anniversary Celebration of the Virginia Association of Defense Attorneys in Williamsburg, Virginia. on Oct. 11. The presentation will address:

• Privacy breach claims are the fastest growing area of litigation in the U.S.
• Any client that maintains employee or customer data in electronic format is at risk for negligent or intentional breaches
• Standing to sue is a frequently litigated issue because of the difficulty in assessing the damage claims in such cases; question turns on whether the injury is “concrete” or merely speculative
• Responding to a privacy or data breach encompasses two issues: regulatory requirements for reporting (including possible penalties) and defending the inevitable litigation
• In larger breaches, class actions are the preferred mechanism; settlement classes provide protection to the client.

Williams is a team leader and co-chair of the firm’s Consumer and Mechanical Products Practice Group. He handles complex cases nationally in an array of areas and has tried more than 100 jury trials and appeals in state and federal courts throughout his career. He is a former president of several state and national professional organizations, including The Voice of the Defense Bar and Lawyers for Civil Justice, Inc.