In this case, multiple employees of a large construction firm in California allege that, over the course of several years, they were exposed to dangerous concentrations of asbestos during multiple demolition projects. The men were repeatedly exposed to products containing asbestos, including drywall products, roofing, and insulation, that produced airborne asbestos fibers which the men then breathed.
During these demolition projects, the men were not equipped with adequate protection in the form of respirators or protective clothing, were not told of the importance of “donning and doffing” gear for work, and were not warned of the dangers posed by asbestos exposure by their employer. The plaintiffs, who have developed mesothelioma allegedly as a result of their exposure to asbestos fibers, requested the services of a pulmonologist to evaluate their claims.
Questions to the Asbestos expert and their responses
Have you ever served as an expert witness on any asbestos cases? If so, plaintiff/defense/both?
I have served as a medical expert in many hundreds (probably over a thousand) different cases involving various aspects of asbestos-related disorders.
What is your familiarity with asbestos-related disease?
These include evaluating exposed individuals for possible asbestos-related disease, determining if a lung cancer is asbestos-related, determining if the diagnosis of mesothelioma is accurate, matters of latency, evaluating individuals with other cancers (digestive tract, larynx, urogenital, etc) as to whether these are asbestos-related, matters of asbestos-related pleural disorders and so forth.
Are you a Qualified Medical Evaluator (QME)? If yes, are you available to potentially perform an IME on patients if needed?
I have served as QME, IME, AME in probably over a thousand asbestos cases and I have been asked to review records, death cases, and offer consultative expert opinion as to whether opinions of other physicians are in keeping with current and prevailing medical expertise on important aspects of asbestos related conditions.
About the expert
Over the years, I would guess that I been deposed on these matters in the vicinity of 20-40 times. I have testified as a medical expert in court in a number of instances but this is not a frequent occurrence. In addition to these medical legal matters, I have a clinical practice and teach at UCLA medical school and at Cedars Sinai Medical Center.
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About the author
Joseph O'Neill
Joe has extensive experience in online journalism and technical writing across a range of legal topics, including personal injury, meidcal malpractice, mass torts, consumer litigation, commercial litigation, and more. Joe spent close to six years working at Expert Institute, finishing up his role here as Director of Marketing. He has considerable knowledge across an array of legal topics pertaining to expert witnesses. Currently, Joe servces as Owner and Demand Generation Consultant at LightSail Consulting.
