Opinion ID: 1058602
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Dr. Victor Roggli

Text: The trial court sustained the Estate's objection to Dr. Roggli's testimony regarding his opinion on the amount of asbestos in the ambient air and its relationship to the cause of mesothelioma because this opinion was not disclosed pursuant to Rule 4:1(b)(4)(A)(i). We have not previously examined the degree of specificity required by Rule 4:1(b)(4)(A)(i). Nevertheless, any application of this rule begins with determining whether the opinion at issue was disclosed in any form. See, e.g., Griffett v. Ryan, 247 Va. 465, 468, 443 S.E.2d 149, 151 (1994) (reviewing trial court decision to allow expert testimony by first examining content of the pretrial disclosure). Crane made the following pretrial disclosure of Dr. Roggli's testimony: Dr. Roggli will testify as to the pathological diagnosis and the testing performed by him and others at Duke University to determine if a mesothelioma exists. Dr. Roggli may testify as to the association between asbestos (including the various types) and the alleged disease process involving the plaintiff. Dr. Roggli may testify as to the contribution, if any, of exposures to John Crane's products and products of other companies in the causation of plaintiff's asbestos-related disease. Finally, Dr. Roggli will testify as to the burden of asbestos (including the various types) in plaintiff's lungs and its contribution, if any, in causing plaintiff's asbestos-related disease if any. Dr. Roggli's reports have already been or will be provided. Crane subsequently provided the Estate with a report containing the results of Dr. Roggli's examination of tissue samples taken from Garland Jones' lungs. The report did not contain any reference to levels of asbestos in the ambient air. Crane argues that in excluding Dr. Roggli's testimony, the trial court interpreted Rule 4:1(b)(4)(A)(i) too strictly. According to Crane, Dr. Roggli's opinions including those regarding asbestos in the ambient air, were well known to the Estate because it questioned Dr. Roggli about the opinions during his deposition. Thus, even if the disclosures were insufficient, according to Crane, the error was cured at Dr. Roggli's deposition. Nothing in Crane's disclosure reveals that Dr. Roggli might testify about asbestos in the ambient air. Furthermore, a party is not relieved from its disclosure obligation under the Rule simply because the other party has some familiarity with the expert witness or the opportunity to depose the expert. Such a rule would impermissibly alter a party's burden to disclose and impose an affirmative burden on the non-disclosing party to ascertain the substance of the expert's testimony. We reject this reading of Rule 4:1(b)(4)(A)(i). Accordingly, the trial court did not abuse its discretion in ruling that Dr. Roggli's opinion testimony regarding asbestos in ambient air was inadmissible because Crane failed to comply with the disclosure requirement of Rule 4:1(b)(4)(A)(i).