Calif. Judge Limits Some Testimony as Thomas Trial Proceeds

OAKLAND, Calif. - Alameda County (Calif.) Judge Robert Freedman gave plaintiffs and defendants some of what they sought in pre-trial motions, issuing two orders on expert testimony in early January in the latest welding fumes case to go to trial. Thomas v. A.O. Smith Corp., No. RG-06-272122 (Calif. Super. Ct., Alameda Cty.).

Judge Freedman, who held hearings on the motions in limine at the start of trial in mid-December, is presiding over Elbert Thomas' failure-to-warn and other claims against manufacturer defendants (See HarrisMartin Publishing's Litigation Watch: Welding Fumes, Dec. 2008).

The judge filed separate orders on plaintiff and defense motions …