Direct Dial: 973-618-4166 Email: adbromberg@mdwcg.com ... - nycal
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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