Opinion ID: 2175808
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Establishing Proximate Cause When Direct Expert Testimony is Required

Text: In this case, the plaintiffs introduced evidence that each of them had been exposed to products containing asbestos which had been manufactured by each of the defendants. In addition, the plaintiffs introduced medical testimony that each of them suffered from an asbestos-related disease. Thus, the plaintiffs contend that the jury was entitled to draw an inference that exposure to each defendant's asbestos product was a proximate cause of their asbestos-related diseases. The plaintiffs' argument fails to recognize the distinction between matters which are within the common knowledge of lay persons and matters which depend on expert skill and training. When the issue of proximate cause is presented in a context which is not a matter of common knowledge, expert testimony may provide a sufficient basis for a finding of causation, but in the absence of such expert testimony it may not be made. W. Keeton, Prosser and Keeton on the Law of Torts 269 (5th ed. 1984). The Delaware Medical Malpractice statute, for example, usually requires direct expert medical testimony to support a jury's finding of negligence and causation. Russell v. Kanaga, Del.Supr., 571 A.2d 724, 734 (1990) (citing 18 Del.C. § 6853). See Wahle v. Medical Center of Delaware, Inc., Del.Supr., 559 A.2d 1228, 1231 (1989); Strauss v. Biggs, Del.Supr., 525 A.2d 992, 997 (1987). Just as the General Assembly has recognized that the proximate cause of injuries which are attributable to medical negligence are ordinarily only determinable by expert medical knowledge, this Court has held that expert medical testimony is necessary to support such a finding in certain other health-related matters. Mountaire of Delmarva, Inc. v. Glacken, 487 A.2d at 1141; Weiner v. Wisniewski, 213 A.2d at 858; Laskowski v. Wallis, 205 A.2d at 826. Similarly, it has been generally recognized that the causation of latent physical conditions or the existence of a particular disease must rest upon the individualized findings and opinion of a trained physician. 31A Am.Jur.2d Expert and Opinion Evidence § 243 (1989). In fact, in Delaware, the Superior Court has previously concluded that a finding of proximate cause in matters involving the pathology of a disease such as cancer is not within the common knowledge of laymen and requires expert medical testimony. Lee v. A.C. & S. Co., Del.Super., 542 A.2d 352, 355 (1987). Therefore, the Superior Court has ruled that the cause of a disease such as cancer in a particular individual must be the product of the thought processes and considerations of a trained physician. Id. Consequently, the Superior Court has held that any showing of the causal nexus between asbestos exposure and a plaintiff's asbestos-related disease cannot be established by inference but must be made through direct expert medical testimony. Id. at 354. [6] Cf. Borel v. Fibreboard Paper Products Corp., 493 F.2d at 1094.