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MARSHALL, DENNEHEY, WARNER, COLEMAN 3 GOGGIN<br />

A PROESSIONSL CORL’ORAIION www.marshalldennehey.<strong>com</strong><br />

<strong>Direct</strong> <strong>Dial</strong>: <strong>973</strong>-<strong>618</strong>-<strong>4166</strong><br />

<strong>Email</strong>: <strong>adbromberg@mdwcg</strong>.<strong>com</strong><br />

VIA ELECTRONIC MAIL<br />

Laraine Pacheco, Esq.<br />

Special Master<br />

Law Office of Laraine Pacheco<br />

2401 East Calle Sin Controversia<br />

Tucson, Arizona 85718<br />

November 2, 2011<br />

A DEFENSE LITIGATION LAW FIRM<br />

PENNSYLVANIA DELAWARE<br />

Bethlehem Witmingte.<br />

Hriebeeg<br />

OHIO<br />

Cleland<br />

King of Fresem<br />

’hIdeI1,he<br />

Pittebergtt<br />

Scranton<br />

Yt’itlmursporl<br />

FLORIDA<br />

Ft.<br />

JeckeoNville<br />

Orlando<br />

T.mrpa<br />

- Nsw JERSEY NEW YoRA<br />

Cheer, 11111 New Yock City<br />

Boon aol any IoI,,mI<br />

In re: NYCAL April 2012 In Extremis Cluster Objections to Inclusion in Cluster for<br />

Belluck & Fox, The Ferraro Law Firm, Karst and Von Oiste, Levy Phillips &<br />

Konigsberg, The Locks Law Firm and Wilentz Goldman & Spitzer cases<br />

Dear Special Master Pacheco:<br />

We are writing as defense liaison counsel today, as you directed, to set forth defendants’<br />

objections to the applications made by plaintiffs represented by the above-referenced firms, for<br />

inclusion in the April 2012 In Extremis Cluster. Defendants reserve the right to make any<br />

additional objections that may appear as additional records be<strong>com</strong>e available. Furthermore,<br />

defendants reserve the right to object to any forum issues which may arise as depositions in these<br />

cases go forward. In addition, defendants object to any case being included in the April 2012<br />

Extremis Trial Group where all supporting materials, as required by §XIV of the CMO, were not<br />

provided to defendants by the deadline.


Special Master Laraine Pacheco<br />

November 2, 2011<br />

Page 2<br />

BELLUCK and FOX<br />

Beers, Gerald (LC): MEDICAL OBJECTION. The medical submission consists solely of a<br />

pathology report from a fine needle aspiration biopsy of the left lung. No Staging is reported.<br />

This does not establish that the plaintiff is in an in-extremis state, i.e. that the plaintiff has a<br />

terminal condition caused by an advanced-stage, asbestos-related lung cancer and has a<br />

prognosis of one year or less.<br />

Discovery: Plaintiff is a Tennessee native and worked primarily in Michigan, Oregon and New<br />

Jersey. Sole NY claim is "afew months in BNY".<br />

Borst, Edward (LC): MEDICAL OBJECTION. The medical submission consists solely of a<br />

pathology report from right upper lobectomy and lymph node dissection. The Staging is<br />

reported as Tia, NO (i.e. no regional lymph node involvement), Mx. This does not establish that<br />

the plaintiff is in an in-extremis state, i.e. that the plaintiff has a terminal condition caused by an<br />

advanced-stage, asbestos-related lung cancer and has a prognosis of one year or less.<br />

Discovery: No interrogatories have been provided. No authorizations have been provided to<br />

RecordTrak.


Special Master Laraine Pacheco<br />

November 2, 2011<br />

Page 3<br />

Eggenberger, Kenneth (M): No medical objection.<br />

Discovery: Plaintiff is a Colorado native and spent the majority of his life in California and<br />

Arizona. No allegations of exposure in NYC. No authorizations have been provided to<br />

RecordTrak.<br />

Friedrichs, David (M): No medical objection<br />

Discovery: No interrogatories have been provided. No authorizations have been provided to<br />

RecordTrak.<br />

Gorham, William Joseph (LC): MEDICAL OBJECTION. This is a holdover from the April<br />

2012 group due to a medical objection. The medical objection is maintained. The medical<br />

submission consists of a pathology report from a fine needle aspiration biopsy and a right upper<br />

lobectomy (with a reported Stage of T2a, NO, Mx), a report from plaintiff pathologist James<br />

Strauchen M.D. and plaintiff B-reader Fred Dula M.D. As a pathologist, Dr. Strauchen draws no<br />

clinical conclusion as to the plaintiffs current morbidities or one-year survival prognosis. Dr.<br />

Dula identifies "interstitial disease consistent with asbestos exposure / asbestos related disease"<br />

but otherwise makes no other clinical correlations. These documents do not establish that the<br />

plaintiff is in an in-extremis state, i.e. that the plaintiff has a terminal condition specifically<br />

caused by an advanced-stage, lung cancer and has a prognosis of one year or less.<br />

Harriot, Louis (M): No objection.


Special Master Laraine Pacheco<br />

November 2, 2011<br />

Page 4<br />

Lettow, Arthur (M): MEDICAL OBJECTION: No medical documents received to date. In<br />

addition, plaintiffs application letter dated 10/21/11 specifically acknowledges that plaintiff has<br />

no tissue diagnosis of mesothelioma as of the NYCAL cut-off date and "is scheduled to have a<br />

biopsy performed to confirm his diagnosis on November 1, 2011."<br />

Discovery: No authorizations have been provided to RecordTrak. No interrogatorie have been<br />

provided.<br />

Marchesona, Robert (M): No medical objection<br />

Discovery: No authorizations have been provided to RecordTrak.<br />

Ragusin, Edward (M): Plaintiffs have indicated this case is being withdrawn.<br />

Spreng, Maximillian (M): No medical objection.<br />

FERRARO LAW FIRM<br />

Vega, Glenda (M): No medical objection.


Special Master Laraine Pacheco<br />

November 2, 2011<br />

Page 5<br />

KARST AND Von OISTE<br />

Conklin, Gordon (LC): MEDICAL OBJECTION. The medical submission consists solely of a<br />

pathology report from a right middle lobe wedge resection and a Stage of T2a,N0,Mx. This does<br />

not establish that the plaintiff is in an in-extremis state, i.e. that the plaintiff has a terminal<br />

condition caused by an advanced-stage, asbestos-related lung cancer and has a prognosis of one<br />

year or less.<br />

Erickson, Duane (M):<br />

No medical objection.<br />

Authorizations provided by counsel to RecordTrak are in<strong>com</strong>plete. They are not all signed and<br />

notarized and do not provide sufficient information to obtain recfords.<br />

Discovery: Arizona resident, never lived in NYC, alleged USN exposure at numerous places.<br />

Plaintiffs counsel failed to serve verified Answers to Interrogatories and to provide documents<br />

with the Interrogatories.<br />

Laffey, Virgil (M): MEDICAL OBJECTION. No medical documents received to date.<br />

Discovery: Ct. resident, never lived in NYC, USN exposure at various places.<br />

Smith, William (LC): MEDICAL OBJECTION: The medical submission consists solely of a<br />

pathology report from left lung biopsy. No Staging is reported. This does not establish that the


Special Master Laraine Pacheco<br />

November 2, 2011<br />

Page<br />

plaintiff is in an in-extremis state, i.e. that the plaintiff has a terminal condition caused by an<br />

advanced-stage, asbestos-related lung cancer and has a prognosis of one year or less.<br />

Wierback, Edward (LC): MEDICAL OBJECTION. The medical submission consists solely of<br />

a 03/29/11 pathology report from a right upper lobe wedge resection and a Stage of T2a, Nx. In<br />

addition, a PET/CT scan performed four months earlier (on 11/19/10) was assessed as<br />

"representing stage I lung cancer" without evidence of intrathoracic lymph node involvement or<br />

"more distal spread of the disease." These documents do not establish that the plaintiff is in an<br />

in-extremis state, i.e. that the plaintiff has a terminal condition caused by an advanced-stage,<br />

asbestos-related lung cancer and has a prognosis of one year or less.<br />

Discovery: Not certain of any exposure or residence in NYC.<br />

LEVY, PHILLIPS & KONIGSBERG<br />

Casaregola, Cosmo (M): No medical objection.<br />

Fernandez, Alberto (M): No medical objection.<br />

Kerstenbaum, Frank (M): No medical objection.<br />

Discovery: NJ resident, no allegations of NYC exposure.<br />

Krekora, Martin (M): No medical objection.


Special Master Laraine Pacheco<br />

November 2, 2011<br />

Page 7<br />

Manigno, Martin (M): No medical objection<br />

Discovery: Lifelong Long Island resident with alleged Long Island exposures.<br />

Perez, Jose (LC): MEDICAL OBJECTION. The medical submission consists solely of<br />

pathology report from a biopsy of left neck lymph node. The pathology report is in<strong>com</strong>plete as it<br />

indicates that "a supplementary report for immunotains to follow." No Stage is given. The<br />

supplementary report is not provided. Accordingly, the malignancy is, as yet, not designated as a<br />

lung primary and the submitted pathology report, itself, does not establish that the plaintiff is in<br />

an in-extremis state, i.e. that the plaintiff has a terminal condition caused by an advanced-stage,<br />

asbestos-related lung cancer and has a prognosis of one year or less.<br />

Spina, Robert (M): No medical objection.<br />

Discovery: Florida resident since 1962, alleges Florida exposure from 1964 to present and USN<br />

1952-1956.<br />

Wilson, Carmen (M): No medical objection.<br />

Discovery: Plaintiffs responses to requests for document production are insufficient. Plaintiff<br />

has failed to respond as to the existence of documents or efforts to locate documents. In<strong>com</strong>plete<br />

authorizations provided to Record Trak.


Special Master Laraine Pacheco<br />

November 2, 2011<br />

Page 8<br />

LOCKS LAW FIRM<br />

Bertulovich, Edward (LC): MEDICAL OBJECTION. The medical submission consists of a<br />

pathology report from a 05/11/11 left upper lobe core biopsy, a 10/13/93 handwritten letter by<br />

Mario Pelletier M.D. and a 10/17/11 letter to plaintiffs son by Dr. Rowen Diano, the Medical<br />

<strong>Direct</strong>or of the Hospice of New Jersey. While the pathology report indicates that the specimen is<br />

consistent with a lung primary "if other possible sites (such as upper gastrointestinal and<br />

pancreatobiliary tracts) are excluded clinically, the letter from the Hospice of New Jersey<br />

indicates an admitting diagnosis of "malignant neoplasm upper lobe lung." Dr. Pelletier’s 1993<br />

letter provides an evaluation "consisting [sic] with the diagnoses of asbestoses [sic] and<br />

bronchitis secondary to asbestos exposure." These documents, while probative, do not establish<br />

that the plaintiff has a terminal condition caused by an advanced-stage, asbestos-related lung<br />

cancer and has a prognosis of one year or less.<br />

Discovery: No authorizations have been provided to RecordTrak.<br />

WILENTZ, GOLDMAN & SPITZER<br />

Devine, George D. (M): No medical objection. This is a double holdover case.<br />

Herlihy, Arthur D. (LC): No medical objection. This is a holdover case.


Special Master Laraine Pacheco<br />

November 2, 2011<br />

Page 9<br />

Stumme, George (M): No medical objection. This is a double holdover case. Mr. Stumme<br />

recently passed away, so new authorizations need to be provided to RecordTrak.<br />

ADB:mm<br />

cc: Jordan Fox, Esq. via E-mail<br />

James Ferraro, Esq. via E-mail<br />

Douglas Von Oiste, Esq. via E-mail<br />

Audrey Raphael, Esq. via E-mail<br />

Janet Walsh, Esq. via E-mail<br />

Kevin Berry, Esq. via E-mail<br />

Judith Yavitz, Esq. via E-mail<br />

Respectfully submitted,<br />

AR4 TG<br />

A Member of the Firm

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