About
Mary Elizabeth C. Stern directs projects in tort economics, labor economics, and securities. In tort economics, Ms. Stern has forecasted personal injury claims for asbestos liability settlements for over 40 defendants or their insurers. Her analyses have been used by companies to set reserves as the basis for solvency opinions and for purchasing or buying back insurance policies, as well as to determine the appropriate size of settlement funds. She also has experience forecasting claims arising from other torts including those related to medical products, building products, food contamination, hearing loss, repetitive stress injuries, and various solvents. She provides regular updates for clients, comparing actual filings and settlements with her projections to satisfy financial reporting requirements.
In the field of labor economics, she has analyzed issues of class certification, summary judgment, and damages in wage and hour cases. These cases often involve large electronic datasets with millions of records, in addition to any paper files retained. She has developed an expertise in analyzing such large datasets. She has also examined issues of materiality, causation, and damages for securities class action suits and has worked on cases involving issues of valuation and insider trading. Her analyses frequently form the basis for expert testimony.
Prior to joining NERA, Ms. Stern worked at Resources for the Future, where she analyzed the effects of SuperFund liability on land use.
Education
- MA in international relations, Yale University (concentration in economics)
- BA in economics, Colgate University