J&J Seeks Appointment of Independent Expert Witness to Help Aid Jurors with ‘Complicated Scientific Questions’; Plaintiffs Oppose Efforts

TRENTON, N.J. –– Johnson & Johnson defendants have asked the federal court overseeing the national multidistrict litigation docket for talcum powder personal injury claims to appoint an independent expert witness in the areas of epidemiology and cancer biology, saying that doing so will “assist jurors in better understanding scientific issues.”

In an Aug. 12 letter sent to MDL Judge Freda L. Wolfson of the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, the Johnson & Johnson defendants argued that lay jurors will be required to determine “which party’s experts’ interpretation of complicated scientific evidence was the most reliable.”

“Some …