Parties Battle over Proposed Hearing on Silica-Scleroderma Link

HOUSTON - Defendants in the Texas silica litigation have asked the state MDL court to conduct an evidentiary hearing to determine whether reliable evidence exists showing that silica exposure is capable of causing scleroderma in the general population. In Re: Texas State Silica Products Liability Litigation, No. 2004-70000 (Texas Dist. Ct., Harris Cty.).

The motion, which is expected to be heard Dec. 11 before Harris County District Court Judge Tracy Christopher, has been met by resistance from the plaintiffs' steering committee. The PSC contends in a response filed Nov. 22 that the In Re hearing requested by the defendants would …