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impacts are fully felt, much less the legal theories fully developed. No matter what yourcompany’s role may have been in arguably contributing to the catastrophe, plaintiffs’lawyers will find a way to assert that nearly everyone involved should shareresponsibility.These concerns are heightened when a garden variety accident rises to the level of atrue catastrophe.While there is no universally accepted legal definition of“catastrophic,” the word has been defined thusly: “extremely harmful;” or, “bringingphysical or financial ruin;” or, “involving or causing sudden great damage or suffering.” 2Catastrophes are rare, and thankfully so are the lawsuits that spring from them. Youmight only experience one in your career. But when one arises, it is better to be readywith a plan, and not make things worse for you and your company by not beingprepared.Catastrophic litigation presents unique issues and special considerations for yourbusiness. It could also be described as “bet-the-company litigation.” 3The pressures ofcatastrophic litigation are exacerbated by saturation coverage in the news, and arefurther ratcheted up by social media. Here, we offer ideas for immediate discussion and2 These definitions are found in on-line versions of dictionaries published by Google, The Free Dictionary,and Merriam-Webster.3 Notably, this topic is gaining traction as a defined legal practice area. Mealey’s Litigation Report nowdedicates a monthly journal on claims, lawsuits, and insurance coverage disputes triggered by“Catastrophic Loss.” “The Report tracks coverage liability arising from Hurricanes Irene, Katrina, Rita… the September 11 terrorist attacks; the Gulf Oil Spill; tropical storms; tornados; rainstorms; poweroutages; data breaches; and much more.” Mealey’s Litigation Report: Catastrophic Loss, available athttp://www.lexisnexis.com/litigationspotlight/pdfs/CatastrophicLoss.pdf (last visited January 7, 2015).