Defense Counsel Alleges That Miss. Plaintiff 'Fabricated' Injuries

NEW ORLEANS - A welding fumes defense attorney charged in a public statement on March 28 that a plaintiff who has agreed to dismiss a lawsuit scheduled for trial in May fabricated her injuries from welding fumes. Joseph, et al. v. A.O. Smith Corp., et al., No. 2003-16965 (La. Civil Dist. Ct., Parish of Orleans).

Attorney John Beisner of O'Melveny & Myers, who represents welding rod manufacturers in numerous cases, said that Mary Lopez, the sole remaining plaintiff in a lawsuit that was originally filed on behalf of 11 individuals, also falsely claimed six dependent grandchildren on federal income tax …