Opinion ID: 1704461
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The trial court's exclusion of Dr. Levy's testimony

Text: ¶ 7. When reviewing a trial court's decision to allow or disallow evidence, including expert testimony, we apply an abuse of discretion standard. Canadian Nat'l/Ill. Cent. R.R. v. Hall, 953 So.2d 1084, 1094 (Miss.2007). Unless this Court concludes that a trial court's decision to admit or exclude evidence was arbitrary and clearly erroneous, that decision will stand. Irby v. Travis, 935 So.2d 884, 912 (Miss.2006). Under Mississippi Rule of Evidence 702, trial courts are charged with being gatekeepers in evaluating the admissibility of expert testimony. Id. We are confident that our learned trial judges can and will properly assume the role as gatekeeper on questions of admissibility of expert testimony. Miss. Transp. Comm'n v. McLemore, 863 So.2d 31, 40 (Miss.2003). Mississippi Rule of Evidence 702 provides: If scientific, technical, or other specialized knowledge will assist the trier of fact to understand the evidence or to determine a fact in issue, a witness qualified as an expert by knowledge, skill, experience, training, or education, may testify thereto in the form of an opinion or otherwise, if (1) their testimony is based upon sufficient facts or data, (2) the testimony is the product of reliable principles and methods, and (3) the witness has applied the principles and methods reliably to the facts of the case. This rule makes it necessary for a trial court to apply a two-pronged inquiry when evaluating the admissibility of expert testimony: (1) is the witness qualified, and (2) is the testimony relevant and reliable? McLemore, 863 So.2d at 35. [5] There is no dispute that Dr. Levy was properly qualified as an expert in epidemiology and occupational medicine. Thus, the admissibility of Dr. Levy's causation testimony turns on its reliability and its relevance. ¶ 8. Dr. Levy testified as to general causation (that benzene causes non-Hodgkin's lymphoma) and specific causation (that benzene-containing Liquid Wrench caused Mr. Watts's non-Hodgkin's lymphoma). The methodology used in forming his opinion as to general causation was the review of eighteen case studies done by different researchers between 1979 and 2004. [6] While the defendants do not challenge this methodology, they do challenge the reliability and relevance of the case studies Dr. Levy relied upon. ¶ 9. While case-study review is certainly an accepted methodology, trial courts still must be certain that the content of those case studies is relevant to the facts at hand. A review of the case studies supports the trial court's finding that Dr. Levy's testimony as to the content of the studies and their relevance to the facts of this case could easily have misled the jury. This Court recently spoke to the danger of unreliable expert testimony and the effect that it can have on the decision-making process of a juror. Juries are often in awe of expert witnesses because, when the expert witness is qualified by the court, they hear impressive lists of honors, education and experience. An expert witness has more experience and knowledge in a certain area than the average person. Therefore, juries usually place greater weight on the testimony of an expert witness than that of a lay witness. Edmonds v. State, 955 So.2d 787, 792 (Miss.2007). Being no exception, Dr. Levy's testimony about his education and experience covered five pages of transcript. This included his testimony that he attended Tufts College in Boston and Cornell Medical School in New York, and that he obtained a master's degree in public health from the Harvard School of Public Health. Because of the weight that is given to expert testimony, it is imperative that trial judges remain steadfast in their role as gatekeepers under the Daubert standard. ¶ 10. In striking Dr. Levy's causation testimony, the trial court specifically cited Radiator Specialty's brief supporting the motion for JNOV. In that brief, Radiator Specialty reviewed each of the eighteen case studies and criticized Dr. Levy's reliance upon them. [7] Of the eighteen studies Dr. Levy cited, he testified that only half showed a statistically significant increase in risk due to benzene exposure. None of the studies specifically looked at the possible risks associated with use of Liquid Wrench. None specifically studied the risks of development of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in mechanics, Watts's profession. [8] One of the studies suggested that the reported increase in risk of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma was not occupationally related. Another of the studies, which included a review of other studies, reported no significant increase in risk of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma due to benzene exposure. Several of the studies did not provide a dose-response ratio. [9] Finally, not one study concluded that there is a causal link between benzene exposure and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. In fact, one of the authors of a study relied upon by Dr. Levy testified that there was no legitimate basis to conclude that there is a link between benzene exposure, much less Liquid Wrench, and non-Hodgkin's lymphomas. [10] ¶ 11. These facts call into question the reliability and relevance of the studies upon which Dr. Levy based his conclusion that Liquid Wrench caused Watts's small-cell lymphocytic lymphoma. None of these studies provide a basis for the conclusion that there is a causal connection between benzene exposure and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, much less small-cell lymphocytic lymphoma, the particular type from which Watts suffers. ¶ 12. Relevance, as defined by our standard for admitting expert testimony, depends upon whether the reasoning or methodology employed by the expert witness may be properly applied to the facts at hand. Daubert, 509 U.S. at 593, 113 S.Ct. 2786. Dr. Levy's testimony gave very little detail, if any, as to the specific findings of each case study and glossed over many of the findings. All that was provided to the jury were two pages which listed the author of each study, the year of the study, a one-or-two word description of the test subjects, and a number signifying the increased risk due to exposure. Based on this evidence and Dr. Levy's testimony, we cannot say that the trial court abused its discretion in excluding Dr. Levy's testimony. ¶ 13. The dissent disagrees with this conclusion, arguing that the trial court abused its discretion in excluding Dr. Levy's testimony. Specifically, the dissent takes issue with our pointing out that none of the studies concludes that there is a link between benzene exposure and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. In support of its argument, the dissent cites Knight v. Kirby Inland Marine Inc ., which stated, in epidemiology hardly any study is ever conclusive, and we do not suggest that an expert must back his or her opinion with published studies that unequivocally support his or her conclusions. [11] At no point do we suggest that experts must rely on studies that explicitly support their testimony. The fact that not one of the studies relied upon by Dr. Levy finds a conclusive link between benzene exposure and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma is just one of the many problems with the studies cited by the trial court. ¶ 14. For example, the dissent specifically points readers to the Hayes study and its assertion that benzene-exposed workers are four times more likely to develop non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. [12] The Hayes study itself points out that its findings with regard to non-Hodgkin's lymphoma are not statistically significant. Richard B. Hayes, et al., Benzene and the Dose-Related Incidence of Hematologic Neoplasms in China, J. Nat'l Cancer Inst., July 16, 1997, 1065-1071. Further, the article admits that the notably higher risk of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma was found among chemical workers who were exposed to a number of chemicals other than benzene and that the observed risks could be due to some other exposures. Id. at 1070. ¶ 15. Curiously, the dissent points to this quote from the Hayes study, which makes our point even clearer: As in most industrial settings, the workers in this investigation were likely exposed to a number of chemicals other than benzene and the observed risks could be due to some other exposures. However, the subjects in this study were employed in a variety of occupations, and excesses of hematologic disease were not restricted to a particular subset of benzene-related occupations, with the possible exception of the notably higher risks for NHL among chemical workers. This observation suggests that the effects are more likely due to the common exposure to benzene than due to other exposures. (Emphasis added by dissent). In this passage, the authors of the study are simply pointing out that the increased risk for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma was found among general chemical workers while the other hematologic diseases analyzed in the study [13] were not restricted to any particular occupation. The observation that the other blood disorders were not restricted to any particular occupation suggests that the common exposure to benzene was the cause. The quote specifically excludes non-Hodgkin's lymphoma from this finding. This is a common theme among the eighteen studies involved here. While the dissent claims that all eighteen of the studies found some correlation between benzene exposure and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, it must be noted that these studies involve exposures to solvents or chemicals other than just benzene. In fact, the Massoudi study analyzes chemical exposure in general, and never even refers to benzene exposure. Barbara L. Massoudi, et al., A Case-Control Study of Hematopoietic and Lymphoid Neoplasms: The Role of Work in the Chemical Industry, Am. J. Indus. Med., 1997, 31:21-27. ¶ 16. The United States Supreme Court has provided guidance for courts dealing with issues like the one presently before this Court. In Joiner v. General Electric Co., 78 F.3d 524 (11th Cir.1996), the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit reversed a decision of the District Court for the Northern District of Georgia to exclude an expert's testimony because the studies on which the expert relied were not sufficient to support the expert's testimony. General Electric, the defendant in the litigation, petitioned the Supreme Court for writ of certiorari. The Supreme Court granted General Electric's petition and adopted the abuse-of-discretion standard for Daubert issues arising on appeal. General Electric Co. v. Joiner, 522 U.S. 136, 118 S.Ct. 512, 139 L.Ed.2d 508 (1997). ¶ 17. Arguing that the district court had abused its discretion, Joiner pointed the Supreme Court to its own language in Daubert stating that the focus of trial courts during Daubert analysis must be solely on the principles and methodology, not on the conclusions that they generate. Id. at 146, 118 S.Ct. 512 (quoting Daubert, 509 U.S. at 595, 113 S.Ct. 2786). The Court responded, But conclusions and methodology are not entirely distinct from one another. Trained experts commonly extrapolate from existing data. But nothing in either Daubert or the Federal Rules of Evidence requires a district court to admit opinion evidence which is connected to existing data only by the ipse dixit of the expert. A court may conclude that there is simply too great an analytical gap between the data and the opinion proffered. Id. The Court reversed the Eleventh Circuit and reinstated the district court's ruling, stating that the district court had not abused its discretion in finding that the analytical gap between the data in the studies and the opinion proffered by the expert was simply too great. ¶ 18. The dissent also makes the assertion that this Court's decision will effectively resurrect the Frye standard requiring an expert's opinion to be generally accepted in the scientific community. Frye v. United States, 54 App. D.C. 46, 47, 293 F. 1013, 1014 (1923). Quite to the contrary, this case is a perfect example of how courts should apply Daubert and its progeny. The Daubert standard ensures that proffered evidence is both `reliable' and `relevant.' Knight, 482 F.3d at 352 (citing Daubert, 509 U.S. at 589, 113 S.Ct. 2786). This Court has recognized the reliability requirement under Daubert. The Court in Daubert adopted a non-exhaustive, illustrative list of reliability factors for determining the admissibility of expert witness testimony. The focus of this analysis must be solely on principles and methodology, not on the conclusions they generate. These factors include whether the theory or technique can be and has been tested; whether it has been subjected to peer review and publication; whether, in respect to a particular technique, there is a high known or potential rate of error; whether there are standards controlling the technique's operation; and whether the theory or technique enjoys general acceptance within a relevant scientific community. The applicability of these factors depends on the nature of the issue, the expert's particular expertise, and the subject of the testimony. McLemore, 863 So.2d at 36-37 (internal citations omitted) (emphasis added). While certainly there is no requirement that an expert's opinion be generally accepted in the scientific community as under the Frye standard, it is a factor for trial courts to consider. This factor was properly considered by the trial court. When this Court adopted the Daubert standard, it did not lower the bar for admittance of expert testimony. We simply recognized that our learned trial judges are in the best position to make the determination. We made them the gatekeepers of expert testimony, not the doormen. ¶ 19. There can be no doubt that there does exist in this instance a gap such as the one of which the Supreme Court spoke in Joiner. On one side of that gap is a collection of studies which is, in the dissent's own words, to be sure, not particularly strong. On the other side is Dr. Levy's assertion that to a reasonable degree of medical certainty Watts's non-Hodgkin's lymphoma was caused by his exposure to Liquid Wrench. The leap across the chasm from the data in the studies to Dr. Levy's proffered opinion was more than the trial court could allow, and this Court cannot say that the ruling amounted to an abuse of discretion. ¶ 20. In addition to non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, Watts also suffers from the blood disease pancytopenia. [14] At trial, Dr. Levy testified that pancytopenia can be caused by exposure to benzene. Watts contends that if the exclusion of Dr. Levy's testimony as to non-Hodgkin's lymphoma is upheld, Dr. Levy's testimony that benzene causes pancytopenia should stand to support the jury's verdict. Watts's argument is flawed. It was not just Dr. Levy's non-Hodgkin's lymphoma testimony that was stricken. Dr. Levy's testimony was stricken in its entirety. Just as none of the studies relied upon by Dr. Levy supports his testimony that benzene exposure causes non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, none supports his testimony that benzene exposure causes pancytopenia. Further, all of Watts's evidence as to damages regarded his non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, and Watts did not even discuss his pancytopenia on the stand. Watts's argument regarding pancytopenia is without merit.