The Silicosis Bar Association

"Plaintiffs lawyers love to expose a business defendant’s internal communications. But when it comes to throwing a light on their own inside work, fuhgettaboutit. Last week the lawyers who’ve orchestrated the great silicosis lawsuit scam even tried to clam up before Congress. To their credit the Members dug out important new details about how the legal community concocted these silicosis suits. ... [T]he lawyers’ strategy was to take the firms’ ‘inventories’; of asbestos clients and — with the help of a few doctors — then claim that many of these same people now had silicosis. This is important, and not only because it is rare to have both asbestosis and silicosis. The hearing suggested that at least a few firms knew it was rare and took steps to mask their double–dipping." The Wall Street Journal, August 2, 2006 Read More »

Justice Scams

"As Merck wins yet another Vioxx trial, analysts have been discussing what this means for Merck’s strategy of defending every case individually. But there is another reason why Merck should not agree to a global settlement, one not regularly discussed in the press: fraud is pervasive in mass tort litigation, even in Vioxx litigation, and settling now without safeguards puts Merck in danger of being hit with the billions of dollars of fraud that have infected asbestos and fen–phen settlements." New York Sun, August 8, 2006 Read More »

Claimant's Diagnosis Challenged

"For years, some doctors have made millions of dollars helping diagnose workers who may have been exposed to conditions at their workplace that cause deadly diseases. Their diagnoses are used as evidence in courtrooms and help injured workers get money to compensate for their ailments. But questions now are popping up about the veracity of some workplace injury lawsuits after a law firm representing CSX Transportation discovered a worker was diagnosed by a doctor who may not exist." The State Journal (WV), July 27, 2006 Read More »

West Virginia Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse called attention to a case of junk science in the state in which a patient claiming to have asbestos–related illness was diagnosed by a non–existent doctor, Oscar Frye, who was never licensed in the state and whose address is a vacant lot. At a press conference, Executive Director Steve Cohen and Chairman Bob Mauk employed the services of a search dog to help track down the unknown doctor. Read an article about the press conference in the West Virginia Record »