Scottsdale, Arizona
Valerie Kellner (Of Counsel-Philadelphia) will present on the panel "Plaintiffs’ Life Care Plans – How to Evaluate, Counter and, if Necessary, Destroy Them" at the 2026 Winter Meeting of the Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel (FDCC) on February 28, 2026, in Scottsdale, Arizona. The panel will discuss how, in many personal injury cases involving claims ranging from soft tissue and orthopedic injuries to catastrophic, permanently debilitating injuries, plaintiffs present lifetime medical care plans supported by expert witness testimony to establish the admissibility and efficacy of the proffered “life care plans.” For the defense, questions arise not only about the admissibility of these plans and expert testimony at trial as an evidentiary matter, but also about their efficacy and applicability to the claimed damages arising from the alleged injuries. Additionally, there are tactical and strategic questions for the defense, including when to retain a defense expert, what the expert should do, and whether to present the expert’s testimony as a component of its case-in-chief.