All-toxic-tort edition:

• Representative class action plaintiff of the day: "For five years, her diet consisted almost exclusively of Chicken-of-the-Sea tuna..." [WSJ law blog, Legal Intelligencer, Beck & Herrmann]


• Defendants said to be way outspending plaintiffs in scientific research related to welding rod claims. Sinister? [Childs, TortsProf]


• Connecticut high court: reduce workers' comp benefits for asbestos to account for cigarette use [Conn. Law Tribune]


• Richard Epstein, "The Case for Field Preemption of State Laws in Drug Cases" [Northwestern Colloquy via Robinette/TortsProf]


• "Texas Courts Embrace The National Trend On Household Asbestos Exposure" [Larson/Palazzo, WLF, PDF]


• Daubert difference? Federal appeals court seems less receptive to plaintiff's expert evidence in Accutane case than state counterparts [Fulton County Daily Report, Beck & Herrmann, more]


• Component part manufacturers liable because other components of product contain asbestos? [NAM on Taylor v. A.W. Chesterton, California Court of Appeal]