Plaintiffs Ask Court to Break Link Between State Cases, MDL 1553 Claims

PHILADELPHIA - An attempt by defendants to dismiss the entire silica docket in Philadelphia based on conduct they claim is reminiscent of the activity in the federal silica MDL in Texas should be denied because the two proceedings are in no way connected, the plaintiffs argue in a brief filed recently. In re: Silica Products Liability Litigation, March Term 2003, No. 00001 (Pa. Comm. Pls., Philadelphia Cty.).

In a Jan. 3 opposition to the defendants' motion for summary judgment, plaintiffs contend that the federal MDL proceedings, which cast doubt on thousands of silica-related disease diagnoses, are unrelated to the 58 …