N.J. High Court: Expert Testimony Must Conform with Scientifically Accepted Methodology

TRENTON, N.J. — The New Jersey Supreme Court has upheld a trial court’s dismissal of more than 2,000 Accutane cases, holding that the plaintiffs’ experts’ causation testimony was not viable because it did not conform with scientifically accepted methodology.

In an Aug. 1 opinion, the high court found the trial court’s “rigorous gatekeeping” was necessary because the experts’ novel theory of causation contravened consistent findings of no causal association between Accutane and Crohn’s disease.

Plaintiffs in the multicounty litigation cases allege they developed Crohn's disease as a result of taking Accutane (isotretinoin), a prescription acne drug manufactured by defendants Hoffman-La …