Doubt (Caroline Auden #1) - C. E. Tobisman Page 0,4

sure you’ve seen it in the news.” He raised his eyebrows again, his expression hopeful.

Caroline shook her head. She hadn’t heard about the case, and she didn’t want to lie.

With a pang in her stomach, she noted the flicker of disappointment in Louis’s eyes.

“SuperSoy is a major milestone in mass tort litigation,” Louis explained. “It’s the first major case brought against a biotechnology company for injuries caused by a genetically modified organism.”

Caroline dutifully wrote down the information.

“The financial stakes are huge. Last year, biotech companies grossed twenty billion from genetically modified seeds. One of the most profitable seeds on the market today is SuperSoy.”

“So people are suing the manufacturer?” Caroline asked. The issue wasn’t obvious.

Louis nodded. “The problems first showed up among athletes. Extraordinarily fit people suddenly went into renal failure. Doctors soon began seeing the same phenomenon among babies. Athletes and children. These two populations with nothing in common except general good health were stricken with rapid-onset kidney disease. It didn’t make sense. But then someone realized the common ingredient: soy.” Louis punctuated the conclusion with a jab of his index finger.

“Let me guess,” Caroline said, “the athletes were drinking soy-based protein shakes, and the kids were drinking soy-based baby formula.”

“Correct.” Louis nodded. “Many products contain Med-Gen Biotechnology Company’s high-protein SuperSoy. Have you heard of Rapid Burn?”

“Yes,” Caroline said, relieved to have a chance to appear well informed. Not that it was difficult when it came to Rapid Burn. After its flashy rollout, Rapid Burn had become the protein of choice for athletes and health junkies. The name alone conjured images of glistening bodies pumping iron on billboards and late-night infomercials.

“How about Nature’s Comfort? Soy Gentle? Soy Satin?”

“Yes.” Caroline had seen those baby formulas and soy milk products in the aisles of her local grocery store.

“They’re all still on the shelves,” Louis said. His tone was matter-of-fact.

“Really?” Caroline’s eyebrows rose. Having been sued on the theory that its products were killing people, Med-Gen’s decision to keep them in stores seemed inexcusable.

“Unless and until we win this motion, these products will remain on the market. Med-Gen’s subsidiaries will keep selling them. People will keep buying them and getting sick.”

Louis paused to let the gravity of that moral offense sink in.

“My friend Dale Anderson is the clever lawyer who discovered the common ingredient,” Louis continued. “He’s also the reason we’re involved in this case. He brought us in about a month ago. He represents hundreds of SuperSoy plaintiffs down in Texas.”

“Texas?” Caroline stopped scribbling notes. “This is a multidistrict litigation?”

“Yes. There are about fifty thousand SuperSoy cases all over the country.” Louis held Caroline’s gaze. “I do hope you recall what we studied in class about multidistrict litigations.”

Caroline fought the same unease she’d always felt when Louis had used her as his interlocutor during the Complex Litigation Strategy course he’d taught as a visiting instructor during her third year of law school. His penchant for putting students in the hot seat had driven some students to avoid his class. But Caroline had always been either masochistic or tough enough to enjoy a challenge. Especially when it was the price for learning indispensable knowledge.

“Has a steering committee been selected?” Caroline asked, refusing to blink. Even though they hadn’t spent much time on mass torts, she recalled the lesson about multidistrict litigation. Airplane crashes. Dangerous drugs. Defective cars. These were unusual situations where many courts in many states could face many almost identical cases. To streamline the judicial process, all of the common issues were funneled to a single judge, whose decision would bind every court in the country.

Caroline also knew that a committee would steer the multidistrict litigation for all of the plaintiffs. Comprised of the top lawyers representing the largest number of plaintiffs, the powerful steering committee would decide all matters of nationwide strategy.

“Yes, there’s a SuperSoy Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee, or SPSC, as some call it.” Louis sneered out the letters in a way that suggested he didn’t approve of the shorthand and wouldn’t be using it. “Dale’s the president, poor fellow. Leading the SuperSoy attorneys is rather like herding cats, yet far less gratifying. At least when the cats are wrangled, you can get some rest.”

“How’d Dale end up becoming president?” Caroline asked. She noted with relief that her new boss’s tone had become more familiar. Apparently she’d passed whatever initial test he’d erected for her regarding her knowledge of multidistrict litigation.

“Dale’s a prominent personal injury attorney. He’s also a rather likable fellow. Apparently, he was the only member of