Defendants Want High Court to Alter Rules for Remanded Silica Cases

JACKSON, Miss. - A silica defendant has suggested in a brief filed in the Mississippi Supreme Court that the high court has the power to instruct trial courts to exclude expert testimony presented on behalf of the thousands of plaintiffs whose silica claims are due to be remanded from MDL 1553. In Re: Remanded Federal MDL Silica Products Liability Litigation, 2005-M-01356 (Miss. Sup. Ct.).

Martin Materials and Unimin Corp. filed a Petition for Extraordinary Relief on Aug. 1, arguing that the 'crippling' judicial impact caused by the return of some 10,000 MDL silica claims to Mississippi requires the high court …