Asbestos Litigation Could Be AffectedCORPUS CHRISTI, Texas -- The silicosis cases of thousands of plaintiffs in the federal silica multidistrict litigation may be on the verge of collapse after three days of Daubert hearings revealed what the presiding judge called "great red flags of fraud" in their diagnoses (In re: Silica Products Liability Litigation, No. 03md01553, S.D. Texas).
The outcome of the hearings, which wrapped up Feb. 18, could have major implications not just in silicosis litigation but also in asbestos and other mass tort proceedings.
Some people who were plaintiffs in both asbestos cases and now silica cases apparently received diagnoses of "signs of asbestosis but no silica exposure previously, evidence of silicosis but no asbestos presence now" -- in some cases from the same doctor. "Great red flags of fraud" indeed. Details here from Mealey Publications via LexisONE.com.