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Vanderbilt University Law School

2003

Litigation

Articles 1 - 2 of 2

Full-Text Articles in Law

Makes Sense To Me: How Moderate, Targeted Federal Tort Reform Legislation Could Solve The Nation's Asbestos Litigation Crisis, Mark H. Reeves Nov 2003

Makes Sense To Me: How Moderate, Targeted Federal Tort Reform Legislation Could Solve The Nation's Asbestos Litigation Crisis, Mark H. Reeves

Vanderbilt Law Review

During the three decades he spent working as a machinist for the United States Navy, Henry Plummer suffered continuous exposure to the asbestos used in the insulation, gaskets and pipe coverings of warships. In late 1999, a biopsy confirmed that he had developed mesothelioma, a gruesome type of cancer that kills all those who contract it and is caused only by asbestos. In an effort to combat his cancer, Mr. Plummer embarked on a long, painful course of treatments that included chemotherapy and the removal of his left lung in April 2000. In early 2001, however, Mr. Plummer's doctor informed …


Just What The Doctor Ordered: The Admissibility Of Differential Diagnosis In Pharmaceutical Product Litigation, Wendy Michelle Ertmer May 2003

Just What The Doctor Ordered: The Admissibility Of Differential Diagnosis In Pharmaceutical Product Litigation, Wendy Michelle Ertmer

Vanderbilt Law Review

In the decade since Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals Inc., federal judges have exercised their role as gatekeepers of expert witness testimony to evaluate many different categories of scientific evidence. They have not done so without controversy, however. Because the element of causation in pharmaceutical product litigation is frequently dispositive, the application of Daubert to scientific evidence of causation has been particularly contentious. Plaintiffs in such cases must prove both general causation-that the product is capable of causing an injury of the type from which the plaintiff suffers-and specific causation-that the product was the actual cause of the plaintiffs injury. …