Agenda

8:00 a.m. WELCOME AND INTRODUCTIONS

8:15 a.m. PRODUCTS LIABILITY: Update on the year’s best products liability cases.

Gabriela Cikota

8:45 a.m. YOU DON’T TEACH DRIVERS ED: COMMERCIAL VEHICLES - NEGLIGENT TRAINING; HB 19

Adrian Ciechanowicz

9:15 a.m. BIG 2026 INSURANCE COVERAGE DECISIONS: Duty to Defend, Duty to Indemnify, Additional Insured, Contractual Liability.

Joe Loiacono

9:45 a.m. NEGLIGENCE AND GENERAL LIABILITY UPDATE (excluding premises liability)

Jack Sigman

10:15a.m. Break

10:30 a.m. CONSUMER PROTECTION/ETHICS: Insurer’s duty to settle; understanding

and working with Stowers issues and extra-contractual liability, including

considerations of professional duties towards insureds.

Adrian Ciechanowicz

11:00 a.m. HOW MUCH? EVALUATING THE REASONABLENESS OF MEDICAL CHARGES: In re: Allstate, Brown; Gunn

Justin R. Vatter

11:30 a.m. LIABILITY FOR WORKSITE INJURIES

Jack Sigman

12:00 p.m. Break

12:15 p.m. TEXAS SUPREME COURT UPDATE: The big cases from the Supremes in 2026.

David E. Chamberlain and Joe Loiacono

1:15 p.m. NAILED IT! CONSTRUCTION LITIGATION; DIGGING UP DEFENSES FOR BUILDERS AND THE TRADES

Jack Sigman

1:45 p.m. RISK TRANSFER: POINTING FINGERS, SHIFTING BLAME AND TAKING CREDIT: Third-Party Liability, Responsible Third Parties, Contribution,

Indemnity and Settlement Credits.

Rudy K. Metayer

2:15 p.m. MEDIATIONS, NEGOTIATIONS, AND THE MAGIC OF NUMBERS

Joe Loiacono

2:45p.m. TEXAS LEGISLATIVE UPDATE: Changes in Claims Climate.

David E. Chamberlain and W. Bradley Parker

3:15p.m. Break

3:30 p.m. SLIP, TRIP, FALL, OUCH! An update on premises liability (non-worksite liability).

Stanford Parrish

4:00 p.m. RULE #1: DON’T PAY THE SAME CLAIM TWICE; SECONDARY PAYOR, SUBROGATION/LIENS: ERISA, Medicare, workers comp, hospital liens, and a whole bunch of other liens you never heard of but can ruin your life.

Rudy K. Metayer

4:30 p.m. PANEL DISCUSSION: The year in review.

5:15 p.m. ADJOURN