T hi s di s pos i t i on i s notappr opr i a t e f orpubl i c a t i on a nd i s notpr e c e de nt * e xc e pta s pr ovi de d by 9th C i r . R . 36- 3. NOT F OR P UB L I CAT I ON UN I TE D STATE S C OU RT OF APPE ALS FOR T HE NI NTH CI RC UI T H A R R Y W H I T L O C K , e t a l., P l ai n t i ffs, a nd DA NI E L L E S MI T H; J O A NN WAKE L AN D, P l ai n t i ffs - A p p el l an t s, v. P E P S I A M E R I C A S ; e t a l., D efen d an t s - A p p el l ees. N o. 11- 16958 D . C. N o . 3 : 0 8 - c v - 0 2 7 4 2 - SI ME MOR AN DU M *

A pp ea l fr om the U ni t ed S t at es D i stri ctC ou rt f o rth e N o rth e rn D is tr ic t o f C a lif o rn ia S us a n I l l s t on, D i s tr i c tJ udge , P r e s i di ng A r gue d a nd S ubm i tt e d A pr i l 16, 2013 S a n F r a n c is c o , C a lif

o rn ia 

# FI LED MA Y16 2 013 M OLLY C. DW Y ER, CLERK U . S. C O U R T OF APPE ALST he H onor abl e J ohn R . T unhe i m , U ni t e d S t a t e s D i s tr i c tJ udge f orthe ** D i s tr i c tof

M i nne s ot a , s i tt i ng by de s i gna t i on. 2 B ef ore: G R A B E R and C H R IS T E N , C i rc ui tJudg es , and T U N H E IM , D i stri ct ** J u d g e .P l ai n t i ffs D an i el l e S m i th an d Jo A n n W ak el an d al l eg e th atD efen d an t s P ep si A m er i ca s, W hi tm an C orpo ra t i on , P neum o A bex C orpo ra t i on , and u nn am ed i ndi vi dua l s c aus e d pe r s ona l i nj ur i e s t o P l a i nt i f f s by r e l e a s i ng tr i c hl or oe thy l e ne ("T C E ") an d h ex av al en tch ro m i u m fro m a ch ro m e-p l at i n g faci l i ty i n W i l l i t s, C al i forni a. T he di stri ctcourtgrant ed sum m ary j ud gm entt o D ef endant s a ft er e xc l udi ng, unde rF e de r a l R ul e of E vi de nc e 702, P l a i nt i f

f s ’ e xpe rtt e s t i m ony on e x p o s u r e a n d c au s a tio n a s s c ie n tif ic a lly u n r e liab le . S e e D aube rtv. M e rr e l l D ow P h a rm ., I n c ., 5 0 9 U .S . 5 7 9 , 5 8 9 ( 1 9 9 3 ) . R evi ew i ng the di stri ctcourt ’ s e vi dent i ary rul i ng s f or abuse of di sc re t i on , P ri m i ano v . C oo k, 59 8 F . 3d 55 8, 56 3 (9th C i r. 2010) , a nd i t s s um m a ry j udgm e ntrul i ngs de novo, T r a ve l e r s C a s . & S ur . C o. of A m . v. B r e nne ke , 551 F . 3d 1132, 1137 ( 9th C i r . 2009) , w e a f f i rm i n pa rta nd r e ve r s e i n pa rta nd r e m a nd. 1. T he di s tr i c tc ourtabus e d i t s di s c r e t i on i n e xc l udi ng the e xpe rtt e s t i m ony of D r. O ’ C on no r, D r. S aw ye r, and D r. B ye rs . T he O ’ C onnorr e butt a l r e portpr ovi de d ar e a s one d gr ound f ori t s a s s um pt i on thatT C E em i ss i on s betw ee n 1 97 1 and 19 75 w ou l d b e s i m i l art o report ed3

tr i c hl or oe tha ne e m i s s i ons i n 1988 a nd 1990; tha tpr e m i s e i s s ubj e c tt o a tt a c k by c r o s s - e x a m in a tio n , n o t e x c lu s io n . S e e D o rn v . B u r lin g to n N . S an taF e R .R . C o ., 397 F . 3d 1183, 1196 ( 9th C i r . 2005) ( hol di ng tha ta n e xpe rt ’ s unde r l y i ng a s s u m p tio n s a n d f

in a l c o n c lu s io n s g o to th e w e ig h t o f th e e x p e rt’s te s tim o n y ) . A l tho ug h D r. O ’ C on no r’ s t es t i m on y r egar di ng hexaval entchrom i um expo sure , a l one , m i ghtnote s t abl i s h c aus a t i on, hi s r e porti s noti na dm i s s i bl e on tha tgr ound. T he di s tr i c tc ourte xc e e de d i t s ga t e ke e pi ng f unc t i on i n e xc l udi ng D r. S a w y e r ’s te s tim o n y th a t the al l eged T C E and chrom i um expo sure l evel s w er e

" w i thi n [ a ] r e a s onabl e r a nge of tha tknow n [ f

r om s e ve r a l s tudi e s ] t o i nduc e " the al l eged i nj uri es . P l ai nt i ff s’ al l eged expo sure s w er e nots o l ow tha tthe occupat i on al stud i es w er e i rr el evant . D r. S aw ye r’ s c on si dera t i on of the hei gh t ened se nsi t i vi ty of c hi l dren and P l ai nt i ff s’ prob abl e i ng es t i on of T C E -c on t am i nat ed grou nd w at erdo es no tre nd erhi s opi ni on i nadm i ss i bl e. F ur the rm or e , A ppe ndi x G t o the 20 04 P ub l i c H ea l th A ss es sm entst at es that"hexaval entchrom i um re l ea se s fr om 19 75 -199 5[ ] w er e l i kel y order s of m agni tud e hi gh erthan est i m at es prod uced by the ai r m od el . " F i nal l y, the di stri ctcourtre st ed i t s dec i si on i n p arton an e rr one ous i nt e rpr e t a t i on of D r . S a w y e r ’ s de pos i t i on t e s t i m ony : H e i de nt i f i e d 50 ì g/m , not300 ì g /m 3 3 , a s ath r e s h o ld T C E e x p o s u r e a s s o c ia te d w ith th e e f f e c ts o b s e rv e d in th e B y e r s s tu d y . B e c au s e D r . S aw y e r ’s o p in io n " r e s ts o n ar e liab le4

f o u n d a tio n a n dis r e le v a n t to th e ta s ka t h a n d ," D au b e rt, 5 0 9 U .S . a t 5 9 7 , it is adm i ss i bl e. W hether i tprov es causat i on i s nota quest i on of adm i ss i bi l i ty. S ee P r i m i a no, 598 F . 3d a t564 ( " S ha ky buta dm i s s i bl e e vi de nc e i s t o be a tt a c ke d by c r os s e xa m i na t i on, c ontr a ry e vi de nc e , a nd a tt e nt i on t o the bur de n of pr oof , not excl usi on . ") . T he di s tr i c tc ourti m pe rm i s s i bl y e xc l ude d D r . B y e r s ’ r e portw i thout e x p la n a tio n . C f

. L e v a ld , I n c . v . C ity o f

P a lm D e s e rt, 9 9 8 F .2 d 6 8 0 , 6 9 1

– 9 2 ( 9 th C i r. 1 9 9 3 ) (h o l d i n g th atth e fai l u re t o ex p l ai n a d i scret i o n ary d eci si o n w as an ab u se of di s c r e t i on, w he r e the r e a s on w a s notappa r e ntf r om the r e c or d) . T o the e xt e nt thati texcl ud ed the op i ni on because D r. B ye rs re l i ed on D r. O ’ C on no r’ s and D r. S a w y e r ’ s r e port s , e xc l us i on on tha tgr ound i s i m pe rm i s s i bl e i n l i ghtof ourde c i s i on thattho se expert s’ op i ni on s are adm i ss i bl e. 2 . T h e d i stri ctco u rtco rrect l y g ran t ed su m m ary j u d g m en tas t o P l ai n t i ffs’ po st -197 5 cl ai m s r el at i ng t o T C E expo sure . P l ai nt i ff s’ expert s di d n ott es t i fythat there i s acausal conn ec t i on betw ee n P l ai nt i ff s’ m i ni m al T C E expo sure du ri ng that p e r io d a n d th e ira lle g e d in ju r ie s o rm e d ic a l m o n ito r in g r e q u ir e m e n ts . S e e P ott e rv. F i r e s t one T i r e & R ubbe rC o. , 863 P . 2d 795, 800 ( C a l . 1993) ; J one s v. O rtho P ha rm . C orp. , 209 C a l . R ptr . 456, 460 ( C t . A pp. 1985) .5

3. T he di s tr i c tc ourte rr e d i n gr a nt i ng s um m a ry j udgm e nti n f a vorof D e f e nda nt s a s t o P l a i nt i f

f s ’ r e m a i ni ng c l a i m s be c aus e the r e a r e di s put e d i s s ue s of f a c tr e ga r di ng e xpos ur e a nd c aus a t i on. A F F IR M E D i n p art ; R E V E R S E D i n p artand R E M A N D E D . T he part i es s h a ll b e a rth e iro w n c o s ts o n ap p e a l.