Exclusion of Experts Who Pushed Thimerosal-Autism Link Upheld

BALTIMORE - Maryland's highest court has upheld the exclusion of several plaintiffs' experts who presented evidence that thimerosal-containing vaccines cause autism, determining that the methodologies and conclusions have been rejected by numerous "highly regarded" members of the scientific community. Blackwell v. Sigma Aldrich Inc., No. 112, Sept. Term, 2008 (Md. Ct. App.).

The Maryland Court of Appeals, led by Judge Lynne A. Battaglia, affirmed that the experts' fields "were not relevant to the specific bodies of science that purport to maintain generally acceptable scientific methods and analyses related to autism and its causes."

The plaintiffs experts - Dr. Boyd Haley, …