50 Companies Express Concern About Court’s ‘Gatekeeping’ Function in Letter to Administrative Office of U.S. Courts

WASHINGTON, D.C. –– The chief legal officers of 50 companies have expressed concern that federal courts have not been fully executing or enforcing the “gatekeeping” obligation, instead allowing juries “a role in deciding whether an expert’s opinions have the requisite scientific support without first ensuring that the testimony is the product of reliable principles and methods and is reliably applied.”

In a March 2 letter addressed to Rebecca A. Womeldorf, Secretary, Committee on Rules of Practice and Procedure, Administrative Office of the United States Courts, representatives of 50 companies argued that “adherence to Rule 702’s standards for the admission of …