Does Pathology Expert Witness Testimony Meet Daubert Standards?

JANUARY 13, 2016 0 COMMENTS

The Georgia Supreme Court will rule on whether to overturn a 2010 verdict against the textile company Scapa Dryer Fabrics Inc. Scapa made fabric containing asbestos and was ordered to pay the largest asbestos personal injury verdict in Georgia history. Plaintiff Roy Knight did sheet metal work in the Scapa plant between 1967 and 1973 and suffers from mesothelioma. Asbestos exposure is the only known cause for the deadly cancer.

Scapa argues that the $10.5M verdict is based on expert witness testimony that does not meet Daubert standards while counsel for the Knights stated “What’s remarkable about this case was that every Daubert factor has been met.” Testifying for the plaintiff was pathology expert witness Dr. Jerrold L. Abraham, professor of pathology and family medicine as well as the Medical Director of Environmental/Occupational Pathology at Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, NY. Pathology experts study and consult on the cause and resulting changes brought about by diseases or injuries.