Dr. Jacqueline Moline specializes in occupational medicine, epidemiology, prevention, and internal medicine with a particular interest in asbestos-exposed individuals and their risk of mesothelioma. Her work has led to her frequently being used as an expert witness in asbestos litigation, and to asbestos companies viewing her as an adversary. In 2024, a judge dismissed a lawsuit filed against her by Johnson & Johnson, but a recent court decision has led to the company moving to reopen its claim.
Recent Decision Reopens Johnson & Johnson’s Claim for Mesothelioma Patient Records
In 2023, Johnson & Johnson subpoenaed mesothelioma patient data that Dr. Moline had used as part of a 2020 study titled “Mesothelioma Associated with the Use of Cosmetic Talc. That request was set aside by Justice Adam Silvera, who agreed with the doctor that the medical records had come from patients who had not consented to making her objections valid.
Following a court’s decision last month in a different case, which ordered Dr. Moline to release the names of the 33 mesothelioma victims in her study, Johnson & Johnson has revisited its original claim. The company asserts that the newly released names prove their claim that Dr. Moline’s study made false statements about the participants’ exposure to asbestos.
Hearing Scheduled in Mesothelioma Study Dispute
Dr. Moline’s attorney rejects Johnson & Johnson’s argument about the mesothelioma patient data, saying, “What we said in our successful motion to dismiss J&J’s complaint against Dr. Moline remains true today: A dispute over what data a scientist should consider and what inferences she should draw is the stuff of scholarly debate among scientists, not federal complaints – or amended complaints – drafted by lawyers.”
The case was driven by the use of Dr. Moline’s report in numerous lawsuits because it links cosmetic talc use to mesothelioma. A Johnson & Johnson subsidiary filed a similar claim against three other experts whose reports made the same association.
If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with mesothelioma, the Patient Advocates at Mesothelioma.net are here to help. Contact us today at 1-800-692-8608 to learn more.
