Establishing Causation Beyond Shortness of Breath

Barbara K. Gotthelf is an associate in the Philadelphia office of McCarter & English, LLP. She practices in the firm's Products Liability group, and has represented numerous manufacturers in state and federal court, defending claims involving silica, pharmaceuticals and medical devices. Ms. Gotthelf has represented asbestos manufacturers at the appellate level. Currently, Ms. Gotthelf serves on the defense liaison team in the silica mass tort program in the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas.

The 1993 decision in Giffear v. Johns-Manville Corp.¹ changed "[t]he complexion of asbestos …