Causation and Risk in the Law of Torts

Scientific Evidence and Medicinal Product Liability

Professor Richard Goldberg is Chair of LLB Board of Examiners, Durham Law School.

Causation and drugs: the legacy of diethylstilbestrol.

Description
This book provides a comparative account of the legal and scientific issues relating to proof of causation in alleged cases of drug-induced injury, principally in Europe and North America. It seeks to assess whether, by using probabilistic approaches, the courts may more accurately determine the cause of adverse reactions contentiously associated with drugs. In four case studies (DES, Bondoctin, vaccine damage and “Gulf War Syndrome”), the deficiencies of orthodox approaches to causation are revealed. A sustained argument is presented in favour of according greater weight to epidemological statistics, as refined by the application of the Bayes’ Theorem. A valuable feature is the discussion of the role of expert witnesses, including an examination of how the author’s proposals could be accommodated within the reformed civil process envisaged by the Woolf Report. The book also examines the economic implications of these proposals. It is a timely contribution to the resolution of the legal problems in this complex area of tort law.

Table Of Contents

• causation and medicinal products – a legal and probability analysis
• diethylstilbestrol and causation
• scientific evidence, causation and the law, lessons of Bendectin (debendox) litigation
• vaccine damage and causation – a comparative perspective
• causation, medicinal products and the Gulf War Syndrome
• causation and medicinal products – an economic analysis; the development risk defence and medicinal products
• possible economic consequences of probabilistic approaches to causation
• conclusion

More DES DiEthylStilbestrol Resources

• DES studies on cancers and screening.
• DES studies on epigenetics and transgenerational effects.
• DES studies on fertility and pregnancy.
• DES studies on gender identity and psychological health.
• DES studies on in-utero exposure to DES and side-effects.
• DES studies on the genital tract.
• Papers on DES lawsuits.
• DES videos and posts tagged DES, the DES-exposed, DES victims.