Trial Lawyer Fraud Unmasked

The trial lawyers versus U. S. Silica run into a savvy, tough federal judge in Texas, a former nurse, who had a few questions of X-Ray reading specialists, known as B-readers, about their evidence, given that incidents of silicosis at this level had not been seen in this country for SEVENTY YEARS----and most from Mississippi. NPR (yes, NPR!) reports:

Under questioning, the reputations of other B-reader doctors were damaged also. One withdrew hundreds of his silicosis diagnoses, saying he never meant for them to be considered actual diagnoses. By the time the depositions were over, Judge Jack was appalled to find that 6,800 of the 10,000 silicosis claims also had asbestos claims. But Jack found that the chances of any one person having both diseases were about the same as a golfer making a hole in one. She said that Harron's testimony raised "great red flags of fraud." The judge wrote a 249-page ruling throwing out the testimony of doctors, sanctioning the lawyers and discrediting the mass screenings. Her conclusion? The 10,000 silicosis claims were "manufactured for money."

Screening trailers were parked in shopping malls. People were given chest X-rays numerous times, until they came out positive.
In the meantime, people who are truly ill are being lost in the shuffle. Justice delayed, justice denyed. By unscrupulous trial lawyers. Mississippi has since enacted tort reform. But here in Illinois it hasn't happened yet, so we live with the shame of Madison County.