N.J. Appellate Court Denies Defense Efforts to Conduct Limited Autopsy

TRENTON, N.J. -- A New Jersey appellate court has upheld a trial court's decision to not allow a limited autopsy to take place on an asbestos decedent, whose family raised relevancy and religious questions to the necessity of the procedure. St. John, et al. v. Affinia Group Inc., et al., No. n/a (N.J. Super Ct., App. Div.).

In its March 18 decision, the Appellate Division for the Superior Court concluded that because the decedent was deposed prior to his death and his testimony included product identification, conducting fiber burden analysis on tissue samples was not necessary.

The ruling was prompted …