Silica litigation in the USA

摘要

The first update on silica litigation published in October (see IM October '05, p.72) summarised the events described in the MDL Decision issued on 30 June 2005 by Judge Janis Graham Jack. The MDL Decision described a scheme involving certain lawyers, doctors and screening companies to manufacture silica litigation for their own financial benefit; in the words of Judge Jack, the cases were "manufactured for money". This article will review the specific responses to the MDL Decision and offer some thoughts on the future of silica litigation (the MDL Decision is available online at http://docs.indl 1553.com/docs/5569.pdf). It is important to note that this article is about silica litigation, not silicosis. By describing silica litigation in the US, it is not intended to make light of what can be a serious disease. Finally, this article is about a rapidly evolving issue; by the time that this appears in print, the story may have taken an unexpected turn.