Mass Tort Defense : Mass Tort Defense Lawyer & Attorney : Sean P. Wajert : Dechert Law Firm : Products Liability, Class Actions, Pharmaceutical Litigation

The court in the welding fume MDL litigation has dismissed the claims of the  plaintiff who had been chosen for the seventh bellwether trial in this national consolidated welding fume products liability litigation. In re: Welding Fume Products Liability Litigation [Ernest Ray, No. 04-18252], MDL 1535, No. 03-17000, N.D. Ohio.

Plaintiff Ray had moved to dismiss his claim, with prejudice, last November. Thousands of claims have been dismissed in this litigation, so why post about this one?  A reminder to readers of MassTortDefense to travel all lanes of the information superhighway in doing fact investigation, including the so-popular social media hubs.

It appears that plaintiffs were forced to move to dismiss the Ray case after plaintiff’s claims of severe disability were refuted by Internet (specifically Facebook) photos discovered by defendants that appeared to show plaintiff competing in strenuous high-speed powerboat races.

In 2006, the MDL Court implemented a new case evaluation process to try to ensure that only “trial-worthy” cases reached the later stages of pre-trial litigation. This process, which required medical records collection and a certification by plaintiffs’ attorneys that cases were trial‐worthy, prompted plaintiffs to dismiss thousands of cases.  Even with that, this is about the sixth trial-ready case plaintiffs have been forced to dismiss due to revelations in discovery.

Appropriate review of public web sites requires no disclosure to opposing counsel, and can be done relatively cheaply. Today's technology, via the Internet, can result in a wealth of information on the opposing party or witness.  Web sites like the popular myspace.com and facebook.com can now provide a profile of a witness or opposing party, or, like here, information on interests and activities. An individual might have posted comments about his condition, as well. Good luck surfing!

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A jury in Mason County, W.Va., issued a unanimous verdict last week for welding industry defendants, rejecting claims that injuries to former welder John Belcher were caused by their products. Adkins, et al v. Airco, et al., No. 06-103 (W.Va. Cir. Ct., Mason Cty.)

Apparently jurors deliberated for only a couple hours after an eight-day trial before Circuit Judge David W. Nibert.  Defendants at the trial included Lincoln Electric Company Inc., Hobart Brothers Inc. and The BOC Group Inc. The Circuit Court had entered a gag order before trial to avoid prejudicing potential jurors, so there wasn’t much press on this one.

Defendants have won about 85% of the trials so far in this mass tort. And along with numerous defense verdicts like this one, this litigation has seen the dismissals of thousands of cases. The total number of pending welding fume cases has dropped by more than one half since January 2006. In the MDL in Cleveland, the plaintiffs recently dismissed more than two thirds of the cases they had certified as "ready for trial. "

The next bellwether trial in the federal MDL in front of  Judge O'Malley is set for September. Plaintiff Cooley, a long time welder from Iowa, alleges manganese neuro-toxicity, which defendants contend is not actually a recognized disease. Both sides have recently filed motions to knock out the other's expert opinions under the Daubert doctrine.

 

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Jurors in Oakland, CA., concluded last week that welding products manufacturers were not liable for any neurological impairments suffered by a long-time welder. See Thomas v. A.O. Smith Corp., at al. (Calif. Super. Ct., Alameda Cty.).The trial lasted about 3 weeks, and the Alameda County jury delivered its verdict after approximately three and a half hours of deliberations. Judge Robert B. Freedman presided. Trial defendants included Lincoln Electric Co., ESAB Group, and Hobart Brothers Co.

The Thomas trial marks the first time allegations that a worker became ill from exposure to welding rod fumes has been heard by a California state court jury. Thomas had alleged that welding rod manufacturers knew that welding fumes were toxic and failed to adequately warn of the risk of neurological disorders. As a result of his exposure, Thomas alleged he suffered severe physical and emotional injuries.

On the eve of trial, Judge Freedman had denied defense motions to exclude testimony by Thomas’ medical experts and industrial hygienist, but granted a motion to preclude a plaintiff warning expert from offering an opinion as to whether defendants had a duty to warn or on the effectiveness of defendants’ warning labels.

Judge Freedman also barred plaintiffs from making pejorative references to the “welding industry,” or making plaintiffs' typical, inappropriate comparisons to tobacco or asbestos companies. However, the judge denied a defense motion to prevent plaintiffs from referring to defendants’ lobbying activities.

The jury’s finding was that welding fumes did not cause the plaintiff’s injury, and this seems to support what defendants have contended: there is no sufficient link between welding fumes and Parkinson’s disease. By our count that is 22 of the last 26 verdicts for defendants in this mass tort.
 

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Defendants last week secured another jury verdict in the federal welding rod MDL trials. Byers v. Lincoln Electric Co.,et al., N.D. Ohio, No. 04-17033. A jury delivered a verdict in favor of three rod manufacturers, finding they offered adequate warnings to an Alabama welder about potential negative health effects associated with working with their products.

The federal cases in the welding rod litigation are part of an MDL. In re Welding Fume Products Liability Litigation, MDL-1535 (N.D. Ohio). Although plaintiffs secured a significant verdict last December in the Tamraz case (currently on appeal), it was the first plaintiff victory in several years, and juries have found for defendants now, by our count, in 21 of the last 24 plaintiffs’ cases tried in this litigation, including consolidated cases that are heavily weighted toward plaintiffs and cases in jurisdictions that are considered plaintiff-friendly. Indeed, plaintiffs have moved to voluntarily dismiss more than 4,000 cases in the MDL. The total number of cases pending against the welding defendants has dropped by over two-thirds.

In the latest trial, Eddie Byers and spouse alleged his long-term exposure to manganese fumes released during the welding process caused him to suffer neurological problems in the form of a Parkinson's type disease. Plaintiffs claimed that the welding rod manufacturers should be held liable for allegedly failing to warn welders about the harms posed by manganese releases. Defendants, however, presented evidence showing that numerous warnings about the dangers of working around welding rods were given in Material Safety Data Sheets and other documents over the three decades that Eddie Byers worked as a welder.

Some see the jury's decision as an affirmation of what the industry has been saying all along—there is no scientifically proven link between welding rod exposure and neurological problems. But the fact that the jury found that the defendants did not distribute a product with a marketing defect seems as significant to MassTortDefense. In toxic tort litigation, juries can be helped to understand the potentially hazardous nature of chemicals or products which help provide important societal and economic benefits. If the information shared about the products addresses the potential risks, the defense is a long way towards home.
 

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The MDL court in the In re Welding Fume Products Liability Litigation, MDL-1535 (N.D. Ohio) recently issued an interesting Order about mediation. Not ordering mediation. Instead, it came to the Court’s attention that various plaintiff counsel have stated publicly that the Court has ordered the parties to engage in mediation. This statement, in turn, has led to various conjectures and to requests that assorted deadlines be postponed pending mediation. The Court issued an “Order to end inappropriate speculation.” Although the MDL Court did, sua sponte, raise the concept of mediation, the Court has not ordered any mediation in this case. In particular, the Court has scheduled the next MDL bellwether case – Byers v. Lincoln Electric Company – for trial in November of 2008. The Court issued the Order to make “clear here that it expects the parties will pursue all deadlines in their welding fumes litigation accordingly.” Motions in limine are due 9/15. Dispositive motions are due 9/8.

In this mass tort, plaintiffs have moved to dismiss more than 4,000 cases in the MDL. The total number of cases pending against the welding defendants has dropped by over two-thirds. Plaintiffs have been forced to dismiss five trial-ready cases, including three slated for early trials in the MDL. Although plaintiffs secured a significant verdict last December in the Tamraz case, it was the first plaintiff victory in several years, and juries have found for defendants in 20 of the last 23 plaintiffs’ cases tried in this litigation, including consolidated cases that are heavily weighted toward plaintiffs and cases in jurisdictions that are considered plaintiff-friendly.

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