Opinion ID: 2134576
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 8

Heading: Dr. Pour

Text: The district court granted the City's motion in limine as to Dr. Pour, finding that there were no standards shown for sampling of the level of spores or mold and any related hazard or danger. The district court found that there were no accepted standards on environmental [air] in residences and that Dr. Pour's testimony would not have general acceptance in the scientific community under the Frye standard. See Frye v. United States, 293 F. 1013 (D.C.Cir.1923). A trial court's ruling in receiving or excluding an expert's testimony which is otherwise relevant will be reversed only when there has been an abuse of discretion. Nebraska Nutrients v. Shepherd, 261 Neb. 723, 626 N.W.2d 472 (2001). Four factors govern the admissibility of expert testimony: (1) whether the witness is qualified as an expert, (2) whether the testimony is relevant, (3) whether the testimony will assist the trier of fact, and (4) whether the probative value of the testimony, even if relevant, is outweighed by the danger of unfair prejudice or other considerations. Id. At the time of trial, Nebraska adhered to the Frye standard, under which the proponent of evidence must prove general acceptance by surveying scientific publications, judicial decisions, or practical applications, or by presenting testimony from scientists as to the attitudes of their fellow scientists. Sheridan v. Catering Mgmt., Inc., 252 Neb. 825, 566 N.W.2d 110 (1997). But see Schafersman v. Agland Coop, 262 Neb. 215, 631 N.W.2d 862 (2001). The district court refused to allow Dr. Pour's testimony to be presented to the jury. Dr. Pour is an environmental toxicologist. She received a bachelor's degree in biology from the University of Nebraska at Omaha, a master's degree in pharmacodynamics and toxicology from the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC), and a Ph.D. in toxicology from UNMC. As a toxicologist for the Department of Health and Human Services Regulation and Licensure, she addresses any cases related to toxicology of water, consumer risks, and other environmental issues. Dr. Pour stated in her deposition that there are no state regulations concerning indoor air quality. The state does not recommend that air samples be taken for mold. She testified that if there are visible signs of mold, there is no need for air monitoring. Although Dr. Pour did not visit the Mondelli home, she stated that she has inspected 10 homes which had mold. When investigating for microbiological contamination, Dr. Pour said the most important factor is visual inspection. Also taken into consideration are the symptoms of persons living in the home and the history of the home. She had seen photographs of the Mondelli home but did not rely on them to form her opinion. On December 9, 1993, Dr. Pour wrote a letter to the Mondellis recommending that they not return to the home until the mold problem had been resolved. She made the recommendation on the basis of a laboratory report about the air quality of the home and medical reports on the Mondellis. Dr. Pour stated that no industry standards exist to determine the acceptable level of mold in an indoor area; only guidelines or recommendations are available. The indoor air quality concentration for total mold should be 25 percent of the outside concentration during the summer. According to Dr. Pour, a house with less than 100 colony-forming units per cubic meter of total molds is a house with no mold problem. Dr. Pour said she based her opinion on general scientific information. The laboratory report on the Mondelli home indicated readings for the mold level in Jacqueline's bedroom ranging from 550 spores per cubic meter of total mold in the middle of the bedroom to 725 spores per cubic meter. Under the plastic in the bedroom, which had been placed over the hole cut by the Kendel employee, the total mold count was 950 spores per cubic meter, and in the dining room, under the plastic, the total mold count was 1,675 spores per cubic meter. The reading for the front porch was 625 spores per cubic meter, while the southeast property line reading indicated 100 spores per cubic meter. The report identified several types of mold, including Aspergillus ochraceous, Aspergillus sp. (other), Penicillium viridicatum, Aspergillus flavus, and Verticillium. Dr. Pour stated that there is a potential hazard if different types of mold are found outdoors from those found indoors. The laboratory report on the Mondelli home showed different species of mold in the air monitoring data, which Dr. Pour said was a significant finding. Based on peer review of scientific literature, Dr. Pour stated that molds are a cause of asthma and allergic rhinitis. She stated that the literature also supported her opinion that prolonged contact with or repeated exposure to mold may result in permanent lung damage and that the literature supports her finding that mold levels in the Mondelli house were far above mold levels found in clinical studies around the country. Dr. Pour provided a list of publications that she has read which she said add to [her] knowledge on the risk of fungi and human health. She stated that these articles included Managing Allergy in the Asthma Patient, The Impact of Allergy and Immunology on our Expanding Industrial Environment, Building-Related Asthma in Denver Office Workers, Environmental Control of Indoor Biologic Agents, and Building-Related Factors to Consider in Indoor Air Quality Evaluations, all from the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology and the American Journal of Public Health. In refusing to allow Dr. Pour to testify, the district court determined that there had been no peer review of publications. We first compare the evidence regarding Dr. Pour's testimony to the four factors used to determine whether her testimony is admissible as expert testimony. See Nebraska Nutrients v. Shepherd, 261 Neb. 723, 626 N.W.2d 472 (2001). First, the district court itself noted that Dr. Pour had the qualifications of an expert witness. Second, her testimony was relevant to the issue of damages after liability had been determined by the district court. Third, the testimony concerning the relationship between mold and health concerns would have assisted the jury in understanding the evidence. Fourth, the testimony's probative value outweighed the danger of unfair prejudice. To satisfy the Frye standard, Dr. Pour showed that the issue of mold as it relates to health concerns has been addressed in scientific publications. See Sheridan v. Catering Mgmt., Inc., 252 Neb. 825, 566 N.W.2d 110 (1997). We conclude that Dr. Pour's testimony satisfies the four considerations for admission of expert testimony. The facts or data upon which an expert bases an opinion or inference may be those perceived by or made known to the expert at or before the trial. If the data is of a type reasonably relied upon by experts in the particular field in forming opinions or inferences upon the subject, the facts or data need not be admissible in evidence. See Terry v. Duff, 246 Neb. 524, 519 N.W.2d 550 (1994). Dr. Pour should have been allowed to present her opinion as to the meaning of the Midwest Laboratories' report, regardless of whether the report itself was admitted. The jury should have been allowed to weigh the credibility of the testimony. See Norman v. Ogallala Pub. Sch. Dist., 259 Neb. 184, 609 N.W.2d 338 (2000). Where the rules of evidence apply, the admissibility of an expert's testimony, including an opinion, which is based on a scientific principle or on a technique or process which utilizes or applies a scientific principle, depends on general acceptance of the principle, technique, or process in the relevant scientific community. Sheridan v. Catering Mgmt., Inc., supra . Dr. Pour testified that there is no established standard to determine the acceptable level of mold. The list of publications which have addressed the presence of microbiological organisms and their relationship to asthma and allergies showed that the scientific community has generally accepted the principle that a connection exists between the presence of mold and health. Expert testimony should not be received if it appears that the witness is not in possession of such facts as will enable the expert to express a reasonably accurate conclusion, and where the opinion is based on facts shown not to be true, the opinion lacks probative value. Nebraska Nutrients v. Shepherd, supra . Dr. Pour has a background in toxicology and biology and has studied numerous publications concerning allergies and immunology. She also reviewed the test data on the Mondelli home. Her opinion was probative on the issue of causation. A trial court's ruling in receiving or excluding an expert's testimony which is otherwise relevant will be reversed only when there has been an abuse of discretion. Nebraska Nutrients v. Shepherd, supra . A judicial abuse of discretion exists when a judge, within the effective limits of authorized judicial power, elects to act or refrain from acting, but the selected option results in a decision which is untenable and unfairly deprives a litigant of a substantial right or a just result in matters submitted for disposition through a judicial system. Noonan v. Noonan, 261 Neb. 552, 624 N.W.2d 314 (2001). We conclude that the district court abused its discretion in refusing to allow Dr. Pour to testify at trial and that the Mondellis were deprived of the right to present their case to the jury when the district court refused to allow Dr. Pour to testify.