Richard DeLisle v. Crane Co.
Richard DeLisle v. Crane Co.
Concurring Opinion
I fully concur with the majority's decision to remand for reinstatement of the final judgment and its conclusion that the 2013 legislative amendments to section 90.702, Florida Statutes ("the Daubert amendment"), infringe on this Court's rulemaking authority. I write separately to express my belief that the Daubert
Determining the admissibility of evidence in a civil or criminal case is a quintessentially judicial function. See Johnston v. State ,
In deciding whether a particular expert's testimony is admissible, the trial court is guided by the rules of evidence, which require that the expert testimony "assist the trier of fact." § 90.702, Fla. Stat. (2017). Further, as part of its gatekeeping function, the trial court must, if challenged by a party, determine whether the probative value of the evidence is "substantially outweighed by the danger of unfair prejudice."
BACKGROUND
As the majority explains, Frye
In 1993, the United States Supreme Court held that the Federal Rules of Evidence superseded the Frye "general acceptance" test for the admission of expert testimony in federal trials. See Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharm., Inc. ,
Several years after Daubert , the United States Supreme Court concluded that a trial judge may consider additional factors when determining whether expert testimony meets the Daubert standard, including whether a particular theory or technique had been or could be tested, whether it had been subjected to peer review, and whether a particular technique had a known or potential rate of error. Kumho Tire Co., Ltd. v. Carmichael ,
Despite the Supreme Court's intention that Daubert be applied flexibly, it has been observed that, in actuality, "[t]he gatekeeping role bestowed upon the judiciary has blocked more court access than it has enabled." Allan Kanner & M. Ryan Casey, Daubert and the Disappearing Jury Trial ,
Daubert has limited access to courts in two significant ways. First, Daubert applies in substantially more cases than Frye . As stated previously, unlike Frye , which applies only to testimony which is predicated on new or novel scientific evidence, Daubert applies to all expert testimony. Kumho ,
Second, in addition to expanding the areas of expert testimony that are subject to challenge, the Daubert analysis involves more than just the Frye consideration of whether "the basic underlying principles of scientific evidence have been sufficiently tested and accepted by the relevant scientific community." Brim ,
THE DAUBERT AMENDMENT
In 2013, the Legislature formally adopted the Daubert standard. See ch.
*12332013-107, Laws of Fla. The Florida Bar's Code and Rules of Evidence Committee ("the Committee") recommended that we reject the amendment to the extent it was procedural when we considered the Committee's regular-cycle report last year, citing "grave constitutional concerns," in particular, that the adoption of the Daubert amendment would "deny[ ] access to the courts." In re Amends. to Fla. Evidence Code ,
In addition to the constitutional concerns, the Committee believed that the amendment "would overburden the courts and impede the ability to prove cases on their merits." Comm. Report at 10.
Florida's judges have not been provided the level of resources and time available to their federal counterparts. The impact of Daubert procedures in Florida state courts would only worsen this disparity.
Litigants in all kinds of cases also bear an increased burden. Having to provide a lengthy expert report or answers to interrogatories, then have an expert witness prepare to testify in a deposition and a Daubert hearing, then defend a Daubert motion, all with the hope of being allowed to do it all over again in trial, is very expensive. Daubert "represents another procedural obstacle, another motion, another hearing, and another potential issue on appeal, all causing more delay and expense."
During [Committee] discussions, concerns were raised that litigation offering expert testimony under Daubert increases litigation costs, a prospect that only wealthy litigants can bear. Family and juvenile cases were raised as an example, since these cases often involve parties with lesser financial capabilities who must somehow participate in Daubert hearings or surrender their rights on the merits due to a lack of resources to fund these evidentiary fights. Contingency cases were mentioned as another example, in cases where some litigants will be unable to find counsel to represent them due to increased expenses associated with the use of experts. A final example was presented in hourly rate cases when many litigants may be unable to afford to pursue the merits of their claims because of the expense of Daubert hearings guaranteed to come.
Comm. Report at 11-12 (citation omitted).
The concerns raised by the Committee do not merely exist in the abstract. Attorney Dan Cytryn, a lawyer with "more than 35 years [of experience] almost exclusively *1234in the area of personal injury," urged this Court not to adopt the amendment because Daubert has made "complex and moderately complex cases ... more expensive to try." Comment by Dan Cytryn at 1, In re Amends. to Fla. Evidence Code ,
The National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers ("NACDL") raised competing concerns in the battle between Frye and Daubert when we considered the Daubert amendment last year. The NACDL urged this Court to adopt the amendment, arguing that the Frye standard often permits the admission of "flawed scientific evidence." Comment by the NACDL at 2, In re Amends. to Fla. Evidence Code ,
As this Court explained in Ramirez v. State ,
In that case, although several of the State's experts testified that the underlying principle of a particular method concerning knife mark evidence was generally accepted in the field, we concluded that such testimony "standing alone is insufficient to establish admissibility under Frye in light of the fact that [the method's] testing procedure possesse[d] none of the hallmarks of acceptability that apply in the relevant scientific community to [that] type of evidence." Id. at 849. Likewise, in Hadden v. State ,
I acknowledge that neither Frye nor Daubert is a perfect standard that will seem fair to all litigants in every proceeding. However, this Court's case law makes clear that a proper and thorough application of Frye allows the trial judge to inquire *1235beyond bare assertions of general acceptance. Daubert , on the other hand, has the potential to infringe on litigants' constitutional right to access the courts. In addition to the time-consuming and potentially cost-prohibitive expense created by Daubert hearings, as well as the onerous barriers to admitting expert testimony, the jury's role in evaluating the merits of the case may nevertheless be usurped even after the trial court has concluded that expert testimony is admissible by an appellate court's overly burdensome application of Daubert , as evidenced by the facts of this case. Accordingly, I do not agree that Daubert is preferable to Frye .
THIS CASE
In this case, after holding Daubert hearings on the plaintiff's experts' testimony, the trial court allowed the experts to testify regarding whether the products of three defendants, which contained asbestos, were a substantial contributing cause of the plaintiff's mesothelioma. Crane Co. v. DeLisle ,
Despite the jury's careful consideration of the case, the Fourth District Court of Appeal reversed for a new trial, concluding that the trial court abused its discretion in admitting three of the plaintiff's expert witnesses who testified regarding causation.
In other words, before Daubert , the testimony of the plaintiffs' causation experts would not have been subject to challenge. Under Daubert , however, an appellate court can usurp both the function of the trial court in ruling on the admissibility of evidence that is neither new nor novel, and the role of the jury in weighing the evidence and rendering a verdict.
CONCLUSION
For the reasons stated, in addition to the majority's conclusion that the Daubert amendment unconstitutionally infringes on this Court's rulemaking authority, I would also conclude that the Daubert amendment has the potential to unconstitutionally impair litigants' right to access the courts in civil cases. The amendment does nothing to enhance the factfinding process, and instead, displays a gross mistrust of the jury system.
LABARGA, J., concurs.
Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharm., Inc. ,
Our state constitution provides that "courts shall be open to every person for redress of any injury, and justice shall be administered without sale, denial, or delay." Art. I, § 21, Fla. Const. We have explained that "[t]his 'openness' and necessity that access be provided 'without delay' clearly indicate that a violation occurs if the statute obstructs or infringes that right to any significant degree."Mitchell v. Moore ,
Under this provision, this Court has concluded that certain statutes are unconstitutional because they restrict litigants' access to courts. See, e.g. , Westphal v. City of St. Petersburg ,
Frye v. United States ,
Code & Rules of Evidence Comm. Three-Year Cycle Report, In re Amends. to Fla. Evidence Code ,
A joint comment filed by past presidents of The Florida Bar and other members of The Florida Bar echoed this concern:
As many of the signers of this comment know personally, the Daubert Law has overburdened and, if adopted by this Court, will continue to overburden our already overstrained and overworked court system. The Daubert Law has resulted, and will result, in unwarranted delays, costs, and expenses in the administration of justice in every kind of case. These delays, costs, and expenses will be borne not only by the courts but by the litigants and will tend to have the most adverse impact on those who lack financial resources.
Joint Comment by Past Presidents of The Fla. Bar & Other Members of The Fla. Bar at 5, In re Amends. to Fla. Evidence Code ,
Fabre v. Marin ,
Concurring Opinion
I fully concur with the majority opinion, but write separately to express why jurisdiction is proper in this case on the basis of express and direct conflict. In the decision below, the Fourth District Court of Appeal evaluated the admissibility of the experts' testimony under Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, Inc. ,
Despite the Supreme Court's decision in Daubert , we have since repeatedly reaffirmed our adherence to the Frye standard for admissibility of evidence. See, e.g. , Ibar v. State ,938 So.2d 451 , 467 (Fla. 2006) ("Florida courts do not follow Daubert , but instead follow the test set out in Frye ."), cert. denied ,549 U.S. 1208 ,127 S.Ct. 1326 ,167 L.Ed.2d 79 (2007) ; Brim v. State ,695 So.2d 268 , 271-72 (Fla. 1997) ("Despite the federal adoption of a more lenient standard in [ Daubert ], we have maintained the higher standard of reliability as dictated by Frye ."); Hadden v. State ,690 So.2d 573 , 578 (Fla. 1997) ("Our specific adoption of that test after the enactment of the evidence code manifests our intent to use the Frye test as the proper standard for admitting novel scientific evidence in Florida, even though the Frye test is not set forth in the evidence code."); Flanagan v. State ,625 So.2d 827 , 829 n.2 (Fla. 1993) ("We are mindful that the United States Supreme Court recently construed Rule 702 of the Federal Rules of Evidence as superseding the Frye test. However, Florida continues to adhere to the Frye test for admissibility of scientific opinions.").
Id. at 547 (alteration in original).
Thus, the decision in DeLisle , which applied the Daubert standard, conflicts with earlier decisions by this Court that conclude Frye is the appropriate test. Although the Legislature amended the Evidence Code in 2013, this Court has never held that Daubert is the appropriate standard for admission of expert testimony in Florida. In fact, in 2017-after the issuance of DeLisle -we expressly declined to adopt the amendments to the Evidence Code implementing Daubert to the extent they were procedural due to "grave constitutional concerns." In re Amendments to Fla. Evidence Code ,
PARIENTE, J., concurs.
Dissenting Opinion
The majority grounds its exercise of jurisdiction on express and direct conflict, asserting that the decision on review, Crane Co. v. DeLisle ,
*1237We have long recognized that a case decided on the basis of a statutory provision cannot be in conflict with an earlier case that pre-dated the effective date of that statutory provision. See In re Interest of M.P. ,
Marsh and similar cases based on Florida's Frye jurisprudence do not address the "same question of law" as the question addressed in DeLisle , which was controlled by and applied amended section 90.702, a statute that became effective after Marsh and similar cases were decided and that was specifically designed to displace Florida's Frye jurisprudence.
To exercise jurisdiction here, the majority sets aside fundamental constitutional principles of conflict jurisdiction. Never before have we exercised conflict jurisdiction on the ground that a case applies a statute that displaces previously existing law. The majority thus charts an unprecedented and ill-advised course that would expand this Court's conflict jurisdiction to encompass every case in which a district court applies a statute that has changed a legal rule in any area of the law. This is a very serious error.
The constitutionality of amended section 90.702 is unquestionably an important issue that is worthy of consideration by this Court. But the importance of an issue does not justify transgressing the constitutional bounds of this Court's jurisdiction. Instead, such an issue should be considered by this Court only in a case that presents a proper basis for jurisdiction under our constitution. Of course, this case might well have presented a basis for jurisdiction. If DeLisle had made an argument to the district court challenging the constitutionality of amended section 90.702, the district court most likely would have addressed that argument in its opinion. And then-depending on the district court's ruling-this Court would have had either mandatory jurisdiction based on a declaration of invalidity, art. V, § 3(b)(1), Fla. Const., or discretionary jurisdiction based on a declaration of validity, art. V, § 3(b)(3), Fla. Const. Yet for some reason, such an argument was not presented to the district court. Parties every day make choices in litigating cases that limit their options for review. And parties ordinarily must live with the choices they make. This Court should not rescue a party from a poor choice by exercising jurisdiction where none exists.
This case should be discharged. I dissent.
POLSTON and LAWSON, JJ., concur.
Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, Inc. ,
Frye v. United States ,
Opinion of the Court
*1221Richard DeLisle seeks review of the decision of the Fourth District Court of Appeal in Crane Co. v. DeLisle ,
The facts of this case were described in the Fourth District's opinion as follows:
After developing mesothelioma, DeLisle filed a personal injury action against sixteen defendants, claiming that each *1222caused him to be exposed to asbestos. He alleged negligence and strict liability under failure-to-warn and design-defect theories. Of these defendants, DeLisle proceeded to trial only against Crane, Lorillard Tobacco Co., and Hollingsworth & Vose Co. ("H & V").
At trial, DeLisle presented evidence that he was exposed to asbestos fibers from sheet gaskets while working at Brightwater Paper Co. between 1962 and 1966. Crane, a valve and pump manufacturer, used "Cranite" sheet gaskets containing chrysotile asbestos fibers. DeLisle also testified that he smoked Original Kent cigarettes with asbestos-containing "Micronite" filters from 1952 to 1956. These cigarettes were produced by Lorillard's predecessor, and the filters were supplied by a former subsidiary of H & V. The filters contained crocidolite asbestos. In addition to Cranite gaskets and Kent cigarettes, DeLisle testified that he was exposed to asbestos-containing products from the following nonparty defendants: Garlock Sealing Technologies, LLC; A.W. Chesterton Co.; Ford Motor Co.; Honeywell International, Inc., f/k/a Allied Signal, as successor in interest to Allied Corp., as successor in interest to The Bendix Corp.; Georgia-Pacific LLC, f/k/a Georgia-Pacific Corp.; Goulds Pumps, Inc.; Union Carbide Corp.; Brightwater; and Owens-Corning Fiberglass.
Lorillard contested DeLisle's use of Kent cigarettes. DeLisle testified that he smoked on average a pack of Kent cigarettes a day from junior high school until he enlisted in the army in 1957. Two of his high school friends, however, did not recall him smoking, and his former wife testified that by the late 1960's, DeLisle was only smoking unfiltered cigarettes.
The parties hotly disputed causation, and even DeLisle's own experts did not agree on which products produced sufficient exposure to asbestos to constitute a substantial contributing factor to DeLisle's disease. Although all of DeLisle's experts agreed that the crocidolite asbestos in the Kent filters was a causative factor, they disagreed as to whether the other products were substantial contributing factors.
Appellees challenged each expert's opinions under section 90.702, Florida Statutes, which adopted the Daubert test for expert testimony. DeLisle introduced the causation expert opinions of Drs. James Dahlgren, James Millette, James Crapo, and James Rasmuson. Lorillard and H & V unsuccessfully moved to exclude their testimony, as well as any testimony regarding experiments conducted by Dr. William Longo. Dr. Dahlgren is a toxicologist who testified as to causation. Dr. Millette is an environmental scientist who tested asbestos-containing products for fiber release. Dr. Crapo, a pulmonologist, reviewed studies by both Dr. Longo and Dr. Millette to determine that Kent cigarettes would be a substantial contributing factor to mesothelioma. Dr. Rasmuson, an industrial hygienist, relied on Dr. Longo's testing to opine on DeLisle's exposure. Following Daubert hearings, the trial court admitted each expert's testimony.
Before the jury, Dr. Dahlgren opined that "every exposure" above background levels to friable, inhaled asbestos-regardless of product, fiber type, and dose-would be considered a substantial contributing factor to DeLisle's mesothelioma. In contrast, Dr. Rasmuson testified that low-level exposures to chrysotile asbestos would not increase the risk of mesothelioma. Dr. Crapo testified similarly to Dr. Rasmuson as to low-level chrysotile asbestos.
Crane, Lorillard, H & V, and DeLisle all moved for directed verdicts, and DeLisle *1223sought to exclude any Fabre defendants from the verdict form. The court denied the motions for directed verdict and determined that Brightwater, DeLisle's former employer, and Owens-Corning, which manufactured asbestos-containing products that DeLisle had worked with at Brightwater, should be included on the verdict form. The court excluded the remaining nonparty defendants as Fabre defendants.
During the jury charge conference, Lorillard and H & V asked the trial court to instruct the jury on the threshold issue of whether DeLisle ever smoked Kent cigarettes. DeLisle opposed the instruction. The court denied the proposed instruction, reasoning that the issue was "subsumed in the [standard] instruction."
Following three days of deliberation, the jury awarded DeLisle $8 million in damages and apportioned fault as follows:
• Crane: 16%
• Lorillard: 22%
• H & V: 22%
• Brightwater: 20%
• Owens-Corning: 20%
After trial, Crane, Lorillard, and H & V variously moved for a judgment notwithstanding the verdict, judgment in accordance with their motions for directed verdict, a new trial, or, in the alternative, for a remittitur. The trial court denied the motions. The court then entered a final judgment awarding DeLisle $8 million in past and future non-economic compensatory damages, apportioned to Crane, Lorillard, and H & V based on the jury's distribution of fault.
Crane Co. v. DeLisle ,
The Fourth District reviewed the admission of the testimony of the experts under Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, Inc. ,
The Florida Legislature and the Florida Supreme Court have worked in tandem for nearly forty years to enact and maintain codified rules of evidence. This arrangement between the branches to avoid constitutional questions of separation of powers continued uninterrupted from the Evidence Code's inception until 2000. In the instant case, we are asked to determine whether chapter 2013-107, section 1, Laws of Florida, which revised section 90.702, Florida Statutes (2015), and which we previously declined to adopt, to the extent it was procedural, infringes on this Court's rulemaking authority. We find that it does. Therefore, we reverse the Fourth District and remand for reinstatement of the final judgment.
The Florida Legislature enacted the first codified rules of evidence in 1976. Ch. 76-237, at 556, Laws of Florida. In 1979, we adopted the Florida Evidence Code, to the extent that the code was procedural. See In re Fla. Evidence Code ,
Until 2000, the working arrangement between the Legislature and the Florida Supreme Court remained intact. However, in In re Amendments to the Florida Evidence Code ,
Since then, we have only rarely declined to adopt a statutory revision to the Evidence Code. See, e.g., In re Amends. to the Fla. Evidence Code ,
Generally, the Legislature has the power to enact substantive law while this Court has the power to enact procedural law. See Allen v. Butterworth ,
*1225
The distinction between substantive and procedural law, however, is not always clear. For example, a law is considered to be substantive when it both creates and conditions a right. See State v. Raymond ,
Here, the Legislature sought to adopt Daubert and cease the application of Frye to expert testimony. In Frye v. United States ,
Considering the admissibility of posthypnotic testimony, we formally adopted Frye , determining:
[T]he test espoused in Frye properly addresses the issue of the admissibility of posthypnotic testimony. We acknowledge that the Frye rule has come under some criticism since its inception in 1923 as too harsh and inflexible; however, we believe that the problems associated with the other recognized judicial approaches foreclose their use.
*1226Stokes v. State ,
[A] courtroom is not a laboratory, and as such it is not the place to conduct scientific experiments. If the scientific community considers a procedure or process unreliable for its own purposes, then the procedure must be considered less reliable for courtroom use.
Stokes ,
In Hadden v. State ,
The reasons for our adherence to the Frye test announced in Stokes continue today. Moreover, we firmly hold to the principle that it is the function of the court to not permit cases to be resolved on the basis of evidence for which a predicate of reliability has not been established. Reliability is fundamental to issues involved in the admissibility of evidence. It is this fundamental concept which similarly forms the rules dealing with the admissibility of hearsay evidence. As a rule, hearsay evidence is considered not sufficiently reliable to be admissible, and its admission is predicated on a showing of reliability by reason of something other than the hearsay itself. See § 90.802, Fla. Stat. (1995) ("Except as provided by statute, hearsay evidence is inadmissible."). This same premise underlies why novel scientific evidence is to be Frye tested. Novel scientific evidence must also be shown to be reliable on some basis other than simply that it is the opinion of the witness who seeks to offer the opinion. In sum, we will not permit factual issues to be resolved on the basis of opinions which have yet to achieve general acceptance in the relevant scientific community; to do otherwise would permit resolutions based upon evidence which has not been demonstrated to be sufficiently reliable and would thereby cast doubt on the reliability of the factual resolutions.
Hadden ,
After decades of the federal courts' applying Frye , Congress revised the Federal Rules of Evidence. The revision was addressed by the United States Supreme Court in 1993. In Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals ,
The Court explained its decision, stating, "[I]n order to qualify as 'scientific knowledge,' an inference or assertion must be derived by the scientific method." Daubert ,
"General acceptance" is not a necessary precondition to the admissibility of scientific evidence under the Federal Rules *1227of Evidence, but the Rules of Evidence-especially Rule 702-do assign to the trial judge the task of ensuring that an expert's testimony both rests on a reliable foundation and is relevant to the task at hand. Pertinent evidence based on scientifically valid principles will satisfy those demands.
Nevertheless, in Brim v. State ,
Despite the federal adoption of a more lenient standard in Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, Inc. ,509 U.S. 579 ,113 S.Ct. 2786 ,125 L.Ed.2d 469 (1993), we have maintained the higher standard of reliability as dictated by Frye . E.g., Ramirez v. State ,651 So.2d 1164 (Fla. 1995). This standard requires a determination, by the judge, that the basic underlying principles of scientific evidence have been sufficiently tested and accepted by the relevant scientific community. To that end, we have expressly held that the trial judge must treat new or novel scientific evidence as a matter of admissibility (for the judge) rather than a matter of weight (for the jury).
Brim ,
Following our repeated affirmations of the Frye rule, in 2013 the Legislature amended section 90.702 to incorporate Daubert in the Florida Rules of Evidence. The amendment revised the statute to read as follows:
90.702 Testimony by experts.-If scientific, technical, or other specialized knowledge will assist the trier of fact in understanding the evidence or in determining a fact in issue, a witness qualified as an expert by knowledge, skill, experience, training, or education may testify about it in the form of an opinion or otherwise, if:
(1) The testimony is based upon sufficient facts or data;
(2) The testimony is the product of reliable principles and methods; and
(3) The witness has applied the principles and methods reliably to the facts of the case.
§ 90.702, Fla. Stat. (as amended by ch. 2013-107, § 1, Laws of Fla.).
Article II, section 3 of the Florida Constitution prohibits one branch of government from exercising any of the powers of the other branches. Further, article V, section 2(a) provides this Court the exclusive authority to "adopt rules for the practice and procedure in all courts." Art. V, § 2(a), Fla. Const. The Legislature may only repeal the rules of this Court by "general law enacted by two-thirds vote of the membership of each house of the legislature."
*1228We have previously found that the Legislature exceeded its authority in adopting statutes we found to infringe on the authority of this Court to determine matters of practice or procedure. For example, in Massey v. David ,
In Jackson v. Florida Department of Corrections ,
In State v. Raymond ,
Further, we determined that the Legislature's attempt to "specif[y] the precise moment during the judicial proceeding when a motor vehicle liability insurer may be formally recognized as the real party in interest" in section 627.7262, Florida Statutes (1977), was "an invasion of this Court's rulemaking authority." Markert ,
*1229Section 90.702, Florida Statutes, as amended in 2013, is not substantive. It does not create, define, or regulate a right. Indeed, while we have stated that the Florida Evidence Code contains both substantive and procedural rights, this statute is one that solely regulates the action of litigants in court proceedings. See, e.g. , Glendening v. State ,
Our consideration of the constitutionality of the amendment does not end with our determination that the provision was procedural. For this Court to determine that the amendment is unconstitutional, it must also conflict with a rule of this Court. See Haven Fed. Sav. & Loan Ass'n v. Kirian ,
We recognize that Frye and Daubert are competing methods for a trial judge to determine the reliability of expert testimony before allowing it to be admitted into evidence. Both purport to provide a trial judge with the tools necessary to ensure that only reliable evidence is presented to the jury. Frye relies on the scientific community to determine reliability whereas Daubert relies on the scientific savvy of trial judges to determine the significance of the methodology used. With our decision today, we reaffirm that Frye , not Daubert , is the appropriate test in Florida courts.
*1230We have previously recognized that Frye is inapplicable to the vast majority of cases because it applies only when experts render an opinion that is based upon new or novel scientific techniques. Marsh , 977 So.2d at 547 (citing U.S. Sugar Corp. v. Henson ,
The expert testimony in this case was properly admitted and should not have been excluded by the Fourth District. As we stated in Marsh , medical causation testimony is not new or novel and is not subject to Frye analysis. Marsh , 977 So.2d at 549. Further, we have previously recognized that asbestos products "have widely divergent toxicities, with some asbestos products presenting a much greater risk of harm than others." Celotex Corp. v. Copeland ,
Next, R.J. Reynolds and Crane both challenged the trial court's denial of remittitur. We conclude that the Fourth District's application of a dissenting viewpoint
For the foregoing reasons, we quash the Fourth District's decision. Furthermore, because the causation of mesothelioma is neither new nor novel, the trial court's acceptance of the expert testimony was proper. We therefore remand to the Fourth District with instructions to remand to the trial court to reinstate the final judgment. We decline to address the remaining issues.
It is so ordered.
PARIENTE, LEWIS, and LABARGA, JJ., concur.
PARIENTE, J., concurs with an opinion, in which LABARGA, J., concurs.
LABARGA, J., concurs with an opinion, in which PARIENTE, J., concurs.
CANADY, C.J., dissents with an opinion, in which POLSTON and LAWSON, JJ., concur.
We reject the argument that the Fourth District's decision cannot conflict with Marsh v. Valyou ,
We note, however, that in vigorous accompanying opinions, Justices Shaw and Boyd articulated reasons that public policy, alone, was insufficient to determine the substantive nature of a statutory provision. Justice Shaw, equally relevant to the instant case, was concerned with the rights of access to courts and would have found that the challenged statute denied "rights arising under article I, sections 9 and 21, of the Constitution of 1968." Id. at 885 (Shaw, J., concurring in part and dissenting in part). Justice Boyd would have continued to hold that the joinder of parties is a procedural matter pursuant to Shingleton . VanBibber ,
We also note our concern that the amendment would affect access to courts much in the same way expressed by Justice Shaw in VanBibber by imposing an additional burden on the courts. The amici in this case have described the additional length and expense Daubert proceedings create. See, e.g., Kumho Tire Co., Ltd. v. Carmichael ,
Crane Co. ,
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Richard DELISLE, Petitioner, v. CRANE CO., Et Al., Respondents.
- Cited By
- 19 cases
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- Published