Defendant Can Pursue Evidence of Genetic Link to Injury Alleged in Toxic Exposure Case, Judge Rules

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A federal judge has allowed defendants in a toxic tort case to subpoena the medical records of a plaintiff’s mother to determine whether genetics may have played a role in the autoimmune illness that the plaintiff blames on trichloroethylene released from a manufacturing plant located near the family’s home.

In a June 20 order denying the plaintiffs’ motion to quash the subpoena, Judge Greg Kays of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri ruled that information sought by the defendants is directly relevant to a crucial issue in the case — namely, whether …