judge with gavel

District Court Denies Motion to Strike Expert Testimony

U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, August 23, 2022

Decedent Callen Cortez sued defendant Hopeman Brothers Inc., among others, claiming that alleged asbestos exposures caused him to develop mesothelioma. In support of this position, the plaintiffs retained an expert industrial hygienist, Gerald Baril, who opined that Cortez suffered paraoccupational, direct, and bystander exposure to asbestos-containing products, and that Hopeman significantly contributed to his risk of developing mesothelioma. To form his opinion, Baril relied on testimony from individuals that worked with Cortez, who …

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Mesothelioma

Defendants Successful on Motion to Strike Plaintiff’s Expert’s Specific Causation Opinion 

United States District Court for the Northern District of California, July 11, 2022

Plaintiff, Frank Shelton, filed an asbestos-related lawsuit alleging his exposure to asbestos from various defendants’ products while he served in the Navy from approximately the mid-1960s to the early 1970s caused him to contract mesothelioma. During his service, plaintiff worked as a machinist mate while stationed aboard the USS Constellation, USS Repose, and USS Haleakala, where he regularly and routinely performed maintenance and repairs to various equipment in the …

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