Dalkon Shield case featured January 9

Pennsylvania - New Jersey - New York - Nationwide

By Michael Riccardi
Of the Legal Staff
PHILADELPHIA, MONDAY, JANUARY 7, 1985

On Wednesday, Jan. 9, the Case of the Month Program will feature Thomas R. Kline and Ann M. Liacquras, successful trial counsel in the case of Reis v. A.H. Robbins Co. Kline is a graduate of Duquesne University School of Law and was a judicial clerk to the Hon. Thomas W. Pomeroy of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. Liacouras is a graduate of Temple University School of Law and the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. Both are members of the law firm of Beasley, Hewson, Casey, Colleran, Erbstein and Thistle.

The Reif case was tried in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania before Chief U.S. District Judge Alfred L. Luongo. The jury awarded $4,585,600 in compensatory damages to Janet Reif and $573,400.00 to George Reif for loss of consortium.

The jury found that a Dalkon Shield intrauterine contraceptive device worn by the plaintiff from August of 1970 to May of 1974 was defective due to improper design and lack of adequate warning. The jury also found that the company was negligent in failing to test the defective tails string attached to the Dalkon Shield.

The presentation by Kline and Liacouras will begin at 3 P.M. in the Penthouse Suite of the Mellon Bank Center, 15th and South Penn Square, Philadelphia, Pa. Commencing at 2 p.m., a taped closing address to the jury will be presented in the case of Paul v. General Motors, a product auto liability case that produced a $6,500,000 verdict.

The entire Case of the Month series charge is $40 for members of the Trial Lawyers Association and $50 for non-members. The single program charge is $12 for members and $14 for nonmembers. Reservations may be made by forwarding a check payable to the Philadelphia Trial Lawyers Association in care of Sidney B. Klovsky, Kuby and Harris, 431 Chestnut St., Phila., Pa. Admittance will be by identification.

* This article is republished with permission from American Lawyer Media, Inc. Copyright 1985. ALM PROPERTIES, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Further Duplication Without Permission is Prohibited.