Judge: Plaintiff Can't Choose PMK for Silica Defendant

OAKLAND, Calif. - A California judge has quashed a plaintiffs' deposition notice for the corporate representative they believed had the most knowledge of silica defendant Lone Star Industries' operations, despite a prior ruling in a related case that allowed the representative's testimony. Alarcon, et al. v. A-1 Aggregates, et al., No. RG06250628 (Calif. Super. Ct., Alameda Cty.).

Alameda County Superior Court Judge Robert Freedman issued the ruling Sept. 15 in several cases after Lone Star complained that the plaintiffs had no authority - statutory or otherwise - to unilaterally designate the company's "person-most-knowledgeable," or PMK.

Lone Star moved to quash …