Colleen Hennessey Successful in Hearing to Exclude General Causation Expert in New Jersey Mass Tort

Following a ten day hearing, Colleen Hennessey was successful in obtaining the exclusion of Plaintiffs’ general causation expert in a mass tort that has been pending in Atlantic City New Jersey since 2003. Quoting liberally from Ms. Hennessey’s cross examination of the expert, the New Jersey Superior Court judge presiding over the Multi-County Litigation determined that the expert utilized a methodology that was motivated by preconceived conclusions rather than objective science. Through her cross examination, Ms. Hennessey was able to demonstrate that the expert displayed a lack of respect for his colleagues in the field, an inability to concede that his current opinions contradicted his prior opinions and a frequent disregard for the fundamentals of the scientific method. This ruling impacts the more than 3,000 cases that are currently pending in the mass tort. This ruling follows a 2015 ruling in the same court where Ms. Hennessey successfully knocked out plaintiffs’ general causation expert who sought to link another form of the disease to her client’s medication.