October 11th, 2005

A trust fund set up in 1988 to pay out compensation to asbestos victims has banned nine doctors and three screening companies, which means that claimants using those doctors and screening companies as evidence of their illness will not receive payments. The fund has paid out over $3 billion in compensation since its creation, and the nine doctors have been responsible for the submission of tens of thousands of claims.

Amidst growing concerns of gross inaccuracy and even fraudulent information when it comes to medical evidence for such claims, these measures have been taken by the Manville Personal Injury Settlement Trust. Officials are becoming more stringent about asbestos related medical evidence across the board, and this move reflects the stringency with which medical evidence will be screened.

Jane Thorpe, a lawyer in the Atlanta office of Alston & Bird, stated: "It is further evidence that the tide is turning on these doctors. Things like this letter are going to become more commonplace as people are really going to examine the underpinnings of the expert testimony that has been proffered for years in asbestos litigation."

Officials from the trust have stated that the evidence received from the doctors and companies in questions was unreliable and questionable.