Wood Smith Henning & Berman is thrilled to announce that partner Tracy Abatemarco, an authority on complex construction litigation, will speak at the 2025 CLM Construction conference in San Diego. Her session titled, "Unmasking the Fraud: Navigating RICO Claims and Defense Strategies in the Construction Industry" will take place on Friday, September 19, from 8:30-9:30 a.m.
Co-presented with seasoned professionals: Don Orlando-Director of Litigation for Tradesman Program Managers, Kirk Willis- CEO of The Willis Law Group, and Tim Capowski, the session expands on the keynote presentation from the CLM Annual Conference, offering updated insights into the rise of civil RICO claims as a tool in fraud litigation. The discussion will include recent rulings involving Tradesman, emerging fraud patterns, and shifting legal strategies in high-verdict jurisdictions including New York, California, Florida, Texas, and Georgia.
"Fraud in construction litigation is constantly evolving and so must our response," remarked Abatemarco. "By aligning insurance professionals with defense counsel and leveraging civil RICO tools, we can pursue justice more aggressively, protect the claims process, and reduce unnecessary losses."
The session will dive into the latest metrics, highlight real-world examples of fraudulent schemes, and share cutting-edge defense strategies such as targeted discovery, expert deployment, coordinated investigations, and compelling trial narratives.
This year's CLM Construction Conference promises to be the most impactful yet, uniting leaders across the construction, insurance, and legal communities to tackle critical industry issues head on.
For more information or to register for the event please visit: https://events.theclm.org/event/Construction25/summary.
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