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Legal Newsline Interviews Stephanie Scharf on $61 Million Class Action Judgment Affirmed in Krakauer v. Dish Network LLC

Partner Stephanie Scharf was interviewed by Legal Newsline about Krakauer v. Dish Network LLC, a  Fourth Circuit federal appellate decision affirming a $61 million class action judgment against Dish Network.  Ms. Scharf is a Sustaining Member of PLAC and submitted an amicus brief in the case.

“The Krakauer case attracted PLAC’s attention because of what a decision against Dish Network could mean and has meant to product liability law in the U.S.” stated Ms. Scharf who worked on the amicus brief.  “Krakauer has gone to the heart of questions about corporate liability for acts committed by corporate agents,” Ms. Scharf said.

“One of the aspects of product liability law involves agency and whether a corporation is or is not responsible for the acts of people who work on their behalf or appear to work on their behalf or actually are not working on their behalf,” said Ms. Scharf.  “Holding Dish in essence strictly liable for the acts of someone else distorts the law of agency.  That’s why we think it’s important to have clearer, cleaner standards for when a company hires, in essence, a contractor and when that company is deemed liable for that independent contractor’s work,” added Ms. Scharf.

As a not-for-profit association of more than 100 companies which manufacture, distribute or supply products and services,  PLAC has submitted almost 1100 amicus briefs on behalf of its members. 

For the full Legal Newsline story on the case, click here.

Click here for more information about the Amicus Program at PLAC.