Fodder: Asbestos Litigation

Posted by: Bill of Right
on April 12, 2005 @ 01:41 PM EST

Bill Peacock on “A Crisis Of Asbestos”:

U.S. District Judge Janis Graham Jack is currently presiding over 10,000 silica lawsuits which have been consolidated in her court for pretrial proceedings. Events in her Corpus Christi courtroom are enlightening:

• One doctor testified that he diagnosed 860 people with silicosis in a 72-hour period without seeing any of them. Another doctor said he signed diagnoses without reading them.
• A West Virginia radiologist testified he didn't interview, conduct physical exams on or check the work records of 2,700 of the claimants. He had secretaries prepare the diagnoses and stamp his name on them.
• Doctors recanted more than 4,000 of the 10,000 diagnoses when questioned under oath.
• Many of the plaintiffs in the trial have previously filed lawsuits claiming to have asbestosis. Doctors acknowledged diagnosing the same patients with both asbestosis and silicosis, depending on the lawsuit.

This is a far cry from the "evil corporations killing ordinary Americans" / heroic attorneys themes sold by trial lawyers. (More here on lawyers' fees.)

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