Opinion ID: 746887
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: introduction

Text: 3 Plaintiffs-appellants, Bob T. Moore and his wife, Susan Moore, filed this suit against the defendants-appellees in Texas state court, alleging that Moore had contracted reactive airways disease as the result of the defendants-appellees' negligence in causing Moore to be exposed to a mixture of chemical gases on their premises. Defendants-appellees removed the suit to federal court on diversity grounds. 4 Before trial the plaintiffs proffered the testimony of two well credentialed clinical physician experts, Dr. Daniel Jenkins and Dr. Antonio Alvarez, who expressed identical opinions based on clinical medical methodology that Bob T. Moore suffered from reactive airways disease that had been caused by his inhalation of the mixture of chemical gases on defendants-appellees' premises. Dr. Jenkins based his opinion on his firsthand observations in examining and taking a history from Bob T. Moore, on the results of tests he performed or had performed on Moore, and on facts and data he obtained from other physicians who had previously examined, tested and treated Moore. Dr. Alvarez essentially adopted the facts, data and conclusions developed and compiled by Dr. Jenkins. To confirm his opinion before the proffer, Dr. Jenkins reviewed and considered reports he received of Dr. Alvarez's subsequent treatment and allergy testing of Bob T. Moore. In response, the defendants-appellees moved to exclude the testimony of Dr. Jenkins and Dr. Alvarez on the grounds that the proffers failed to demonstrate reliable bases for their opinions. 5 The trial court concluded that the proffer of Dr. Jenkins' testimony demonstrated a reliable basis for his diagnosis of Moore's reactive airways disease. However, the court excluded Dr. Jenkins' opinion that Moore's exposure to the chemicals caused the disease on dual grounds, viz., (1) that under Federal Rule of Evidence 702 the opinion did not have a reliable basis, and (2) that under Federal Rule of Evidence 403 the probative value of the opinion was outweighed by the prejudice that would be caused by Dr. Jenkins' highly impressive qualifications. The trial court admitted Dr. Alvarez's opinions as to both diagnosis and cause of disease as evidentiarily reliable, despite the fact that Dr. Alvarez relied heavily on Dr. Jenkins' opinion and based his own opinion essentially on the same data that had been developed and used by Dr. Jenkins. 6 At the jury trial, Dr. Jenkins' testimony was limited to his diagnosis of Moore's disease and did not touch on causation. Dr. Alvarez testified as to both the diagnosis and the cause of the disease. Dr. Alvarez, however, was forced to admit that in forming his opinions he relied heavily on the work and opinions of Dr. Jenkins. Dr. Alvarez was unable to explain possible discrepancies in the data he used that had been compiled by Dr. Jenkins. Counsel for the defendants-appellees in closing argument pointed out that Dr. Alvarez was not as highly qualified as their medical causation expert who testified that Moore's disease had not been caused by exposure to the mixture of chemicals. 7 The jury answered No to an interrogatory asking whether the negligence, if any, of the defendants-appellees had proximately caused the injury in question. The district court entered a take nothing judgment against the plaintiffs. The plaintiffs appealed, assigning as error the trial court's ruling that excluded Dr. Jenkins' testimony as to his opinion or inference that Moore's disease had been caused by his exposure to the chemicals he encountered at the defendant-appellees' facility.