The Center for Public Integrity has just released a shocking story disclosing that Paul Lees-Haley, Ph.D. and other researchers were paid millions of dollars by the welding industry which has been  embattled in litigation over whether welding fumes contain manganese, a toxic metal that specialists suggest cause Parkinsonism.
 
According to the story, lawsuits against the welding industry have been ongoing since the 1970s.  The welding products industry has consistently argued that there were no reliable scientific data to prove that welding fumes cause the Parkinson-like syndrome known as Parkinsonism.
 
Recently, in December, U.S. District Judge Kathleen O’Malley, who has been handling hundreds of these cases, ordered both sides to fully disclose payments made by any of the parties to researchers.  Court documents obtained by the Center for Public Integrity demonstrate that “The welding companies paid more than $12.5 million to 25 organizations and 33 researchers, virtually all of whom have published papers dismissing the connection between welding fumes and workers’ ailments.  Most of the money, $11 million,  was spent after the litigation achieved critical mass in 2003; attorneys for the welders, meanwhile, spent about half a million.”
 
The documents revealed that Jon Fryzek who works for Maryland’s International Epidemiology Institute - “known for its industry-commissioned studies” was paid $971,000 from welding defendants.
 
The defendants also paid $860,000 to Paul Lees-Haley, while C. Warren Olanow, M.D., a Manhattan neurologist who has  “published at least a dozen articles cited by defense experts” received almost $2.9 million.  The Parkinson Institute in California received nearly $3.4 million  to conduct a four-year study.  
 
The revelations about Dr. Paul Lees-Haley strongly confirm the opinions published by Erin Bigler, Ph.D., an internationally-renowned neuropsychologist who recently published an article entitled “Motion to Exclude” in the Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology, where Dr. Bigler criticized defense forensic neuropsychologists.
 
The story published by the Center for Public Integrity can be found on their website and is also being published concurrently in Mother Jones magazine.

The Brain Injury Association of New Jersey is offering a free copy of Preparing for Life after High School: The Next Steps, Living With Brain Injury. The booklet is reprinted with permission from the Brain Injury Association of America and describes the opportunities and resources available to students with brain injuries, their families, and others who care about them.

The booklet provides guidance on how to make a successful transition from a high school student to young adult and emphasizes the importance of understanding the student’s rights, of exploring options, of collaborative planning, and of flexibility. For more information, contact the Brain Injury Association of New Jersey at 732-745-0200.

I am pleased to advise my readers that I have been elected as President-Elect of the Melvin M. Belli Society. The society is named after Melvin M. Belli, a founder and past president of ATLA (Association of Trial Lawyers of America) and one of the truly great lawyers of the 20th century.

Life magazine dubbed Melvin Belli, “the king of torts” and his courageous, innovative use of demonstrative evidence and his willingness to teach and share his techniques are legendary.  The Belli Society continues his tradition with hard-hitting, practical seminars featuring courtroom skills.  This weekend, in Philadelphia, I was honored to be elected president elect of this wonderful society.

Pictured from left to right: Bruce Stern, Howard Nations, Linda Atkin, Ira Leesfield, Kirk Morgan and Thomas Dempsey.

I have just returned from a week in Philadelphia where I attended the American Association for Justice national convention.  It was an extremely busy week starting on Friday afternoon where I was honored to be one of 35 presenters at the annual Belli seminar.  My presentation was entitled Third Party Observers During Neuropsychological Testing.

On Saturday, I was nominated and elected as president elect of the Belli Society.  Saturday morning I also gave a presentation entitled Rules of the Road-The Opening Statement.  On Sunday, through Tuesday, I attended numerous educational seminars on various topics of trial advocacy.  The convention ended on Thursday with my attendance at the AAJ Board of Governor’s meeting, where I serve as national governor for the Association of Trial Lawyers of America-New Jersey.

The North American Brain Injury Society will hold the 21st Annual Legal Conference on Brain Injury in New Orleans, Louisiana, on October 2-4, 2008. The conference will offer detailed, practical information on every aspect of litigating a traumatic brain injury case. Over 50 of the leading attorneys and medical experts from North America will provide the tools you need to successfully handle these challenging cases.

You can access additional information including a list of speakers, how to register, CLE credit information, and a full conference schedule of events here.