Barbara Pfeffer Billauer
Judging junk science: Here are the tools available for the courts to identify and block predatort and activist misinformation
Much has been written advising laypeople to navigate conflicting medical opinions and identify the golden truth amid the pervasive muck ...
Legislating hesitancy: Anti-vaccine lobbying is dismantling state-level vaccine protections
As vaccine exemptions spread and courts are weaponized in the name of “medical freedom,” preventable childhood diseases are roaring back—with ...
Viewpoint: Crazy left meets crazy right—The tort machine created by activist environmentalists to target aspartame, Gardasil, and glyphosate is now turning its sights on vaccines and other MAHA pet grieves
Anti-vaxxers have found a powerful new weapon: the plaintiffs’ bar. Armed with repurposed federal claims and fueled by political momentum, ...
Viewpoint: TB served in a glass—The legislative rush to legitimize raw milk
Once, pasteurization helped conquer “The White Plague”, saving millions of lives from TB and other diseases. Now, legislators across the ...
Viewpoint: Wall Street and private equity—The hidden money bankrolling class action tort cases, from glyphosate to talc to Zantac
Have you ever wondered how lawyers manage to bankroll mass toxic tort cases, which are notoriously expensive to finance? Spoiler ...
Viewpoint: 98 years ago, Carrie Buck was labeled an ‘imbecile’ and ordered sterilized. Today, the wealthy can select the ‘best genes’ for their child. Is there a difference?
Almost 100 years ago, Carrie Buck was raped, labeled an “imbecile,” and sterilized by order of the state — all ...
Viewpoint: While plaintiff attorneys link ultra-processed foods to rising obesity levels, the science remains unconvincing
Opinions regarding “safe” and unsafe foods vacillate more than hem-length fashion. While we disregard emerging data, fail to conduct sound ...
Viewpoint: Controversy heats up over ‘informed consent’ for trans-identifying teenagers seeking a sex change operation
In the U.S., the mainstream medical (and legal) community strongly supports gender-affirming care for young people. Most American doctors “maintain… ...
What happens when anti-vax ideology moves from the fringe to the halls of power? Will measles just be the opening act?
ith the presumptive ascension of RFK Jr. to Health and Social Services Secretary bringing along his history of anti-vax activities, ...
‘You are a stain on the universe. Please die. Please’: A 14-year old took AI seriously. Who is responsible?
Demonic forces which lured unsuspecting innocents to their deaths were once the subject of myth. No longer. And while we ...
Will the Supreme Court block further glyphosate suits against Bayer?
Recent surprise decisions have upended plaintiffs’ expectations on the toxic tort front. In Delaware, the top court is rehearing the ...
Australian glyphosate class action suit with 20,000 plaintiffs dismissed, judge says evidence supporting cancer claims lacking
This past July 24, Judge Michael Lee ruled on the carcinogenicity of RoundUp in a class action involving over 20,000 ...
Viewpoint: ‘Dismissive of science and the real-world impact of their decisions’ — SCOTUS has taken a troubling turn against evidence and expertise
The American public's trust in the U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) has significantly waned in recent years. The most recent Gallup ...
Scientific evidence in the courtroom: The ‘Daubert standard’ is again under attack, opening the door to more junk science in controversial tort cases
The 1993 Daubert decision assigns to judges the role of “gatekeepers” – meaning judges must first vet scientific evidence before its submission ...
A legal defense grounded in genetics: Is DNA testing the magic wand to winning (or losing) a negligence case?
Among the four elements required to establish liability for the tort of negligence is causation. In addition to proving that ...
Genetic embryo screening for health issues and IQ inch closer to reality. Here’s a primer on what you can expect
The world of IVF has introduced a host of ethical quandaries. For now, Alabamians will be spared grappling the latest, ...
‘Judges as gatekeepers’: Court rejects ‘predatort’ lawyers’ claim that Lexapro used during pregnancy led to children’s autism
Judicial opinions don’t evidence a clear enough understanding of the scientific method and invite push-back from an aggressive bar ...
Viewpoint: Ketamine for mental health is being abused. We need more regulatory oversight
While some extol the psychological benefits of psychedelics and bemoan their unavailability, at least one FDA-approved agent with psychedelic properties, ...
Rethinking artificial sweeteners? Fake sugars may not cause cancer but they’re not great for losing weight either
Let’s start by noting that the World Health Organization (WHO) recently warned against using artificial sweeteners for weight control. What? ...
Part II: Science and the courts clash over different views about human life and on what limits should be set on human embryo laboratory research
The US Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision striking down the constitutional right to abortion (which has sparked a renewed debate over ...
Part I: 14 days or 28 — What should the standard be for research on lab-grown human embryos?
For four decades, scientists world-over have self-imposed a moratorium on doing laboratory research on human embryos 14 days post-fertilization. It's ...
‘You have to prove the dose’: Why courts are rejecting payouts for exposure to alleged carcinogens like talc or actual ones like asbestos
Personal injury lawyers are either revered or reviled. Sometimes purveyors of junk science, they often prey on a vulnerable and ...
Far-fetched idea of ‘head transplants’ sparks an ethical debate
Far from being far-fetched, human head transplantation is theoretically possible and merits an entry in Wikipedia. One neurosurgeon claims this will be a doable ...
Health and autonomy: How COVID has challenged already-tenuous balance among public health, religion and personal values
Exactly two years ago, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic. At the time, 118,000 cases and 4,000 deaths ...
Legislating nicotine reduction? Some smoke, mostly mirrors
The Biden administration recently announced plans to reduce nicotine in cigarettes to “minimally or non-addictive levels.” This is not a ...
Fertility fraud: Direct-to-consumer DNA tests show thousands of women are illegally impregnated every year by deviant doctors. The laws need updating
To thousands of women gifted with childbirth through assisted reproductive technologies (ART) and their children - the practice can only ...
Viewpoint: Ethical concerns abound over plans for uterine transplants for trans women
Cis and Trans are words I first learned in chemistry. They describe different isomers — compounds with the same chemical ...
Viewpoint: Anti-vaccine backlash is not going away — and its long term consequences are grim
As of January 25, 2022, some 40% of Americans [1] have not been fully vaccinated. [2] This, notwithstanding valiant efforts ...
