MarlerClark puts “Handwashing On Trial”

A duel between MarlerClark lawyers was a feature at NEHA's 2007 annual education conference (National Environmental Health Association).

The session title was "Handwashing On Trial". CasuaLee's restaurant suffered an outbreak linking back to poor hand hygiene. Plaintiff David Ludwig was represented by Drew Falkenstein and the defense was led by Denis Stearns, defending the owner of CasuaLee's, Lee Budd. The judge, Mark Toscano, was assisted by bailiff Captain Charles Otto and a very special jury of experts.

This unique active learning experience was a walk through the reality of the legal principle Strict Liability. It was also step one, Risk Assessment, for a panel covering Handwashing For Life's five step Hands-On Sytem. A copy of the PowerPoint presentation is attached below.

The jury and everyone in the courtroom had something to say. The audience verdict was not unanimous but generally followed the jury verdict of guilty as charged. The core of the decision was based on the principle of Strict Liability, Read more.

Photo Credits: Andy Timm & Steve Lipton