Presentation:
See how the promising merger between an innovative small company (MeDvc4U) and a larger global company (ABC Corp) turned into a class action lawsuit.  
MeDvc4U is headquartered in a small town in Virginia.  ABC Corp, headquartered in northern Virginia, is a global leader in implantable medical devices with offices and manufacturing sites around the globe.  
MeDvc4U recently created a new medical device the “Sugar Shield” and ran a limited clinical trial with promising results.  The simple device helps control Type II diabetes.  The company needed to expand clinical trials and needed capital to produce the product and market it to a national or even global market.  A merger looked like the best opportunity to expand the product reach and capitalize on the creative solutions and ideas of the company founders.  A number of instances of poor records management decisions and practices before, during and after the merger resulted in ABC Corp getting more than it bargained for in the merger.  After the merger, ABC Corp is sued for failure to adequately protect information during a merger, failure to properly destroy information, failure to notify claimants of a possible exposure and/or loss of their personal information, and inflicting financial harm and emotional stress on the claimants. Join us to find out what happened before, during and after the merger.  Hear the prosecution and defense attorney arguments and testimony from witnesses.  Learn the judge’s verdict.

Bio:
​
Vanessa Sutherland
Vanessa L. Allen Sutherland, JD MBA CIPP, joined Norfolk Southern Corporation as vice president law in June 2018. Prior to joining Norfolk Southern, she served as chief executive officer and chairperson of the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board in Washington, D.C.  Previously, she served as chief counsel with the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration; counsel with Philip Morris USA and senior counsel with Phillip Morris parent Altria.  Sutherland began work as a corporate attorney at long-distance phone company MCI. In 1998, she moved to MCI subsidiary Digex, where she served first as counsel and later as senior counsel and then vice president and deputy general counsel. 
Sutherland holds an undergraduate degree from Drew University and a Juris Doctor and an MBA from American University. She has expertise in Fortune 100 corporations, start-ups and the federal government, specifically handling compliance, regulatory, IP/Privacy, commercial, strategic planning and personnel matters. Sutherland was the recipient of three U.S. Secretary of Transportation Awards (2012 & 2014), a Virginia Lawyers Weekly "Leaders in the Law" Award (2010), a Fellowship in Maryland State Bar (2005) and Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (2011), and the 2017 “Standing on the Shoulders of Giants Award”, sponsored by the Office of Multicultural Affairs at the University of Richmond. 

Joe Carpenter
Mr. Carpenter began with Norfolk Southern in 2002 and has practice in the Corporate and Litigation Sections of the Law Department.  He is currently General Counsel of the Markets and Regulations Section, overseeing legal issues arising out of customer relationships, the Federal Railroad Administration, and the Surface Transportation Board, among other federal and state entities.  Joe has overseen the development and implementation of the company’s Information Management Program, including records management, e-discovery, and data loss prevention elements.  He is also the company’s Information Governance Counsel.

Caroline Weeks
Ms. Weeks is a General Solicitor for Norfolk Southern Corporation.  Caroline’s practice focuses on labor and employment law.  She handles all of the company’s employment litigation as well as employment related compliance questions, including those related to Title VII, ADA, ADEA, USERRA, and various state law requirements.  She also handles labor issues on behalf of NS, which has a workforce that is heavily unionized and governed by the Railway Labor Act and a myriad of Collective Bargaining Agreements.  
Previously, Caroline supervised traumatic litigation, which included employee injuries, property damage, insurance recovery litigation, and third party claims.  She has experience defending occupational claims with a focus on repetitive stress injuries and musculoskeletal disorders.  Caroline also supervised a portion of the railroad’s FRSA whistleblower/retaliation litigation, which often has a direct impact on traditional FELA (personal injury) claims.  
In addition to managing litigation, Caroline routinely provides advice to departments that may play an integral role in the defense of the railroad, including Human Resources, Labor Relations, Safety, Government Relations, Operations, and Corporate Communications.   She frequently presents to NS employees on best practices when handling evidence in anticipation of litigation.  
Caroline is a native of the great state of North Carolina and a true believer of her beloved Tar Heels.  GO HEELS!  She is licensed to practice law in North Carolina and Virginia.