Ruiz-Troche v. Pepsi Cola of Puerto Rico Bottling Co.

SELYA, Circuit Judge.

This appeal requires us to explore the limits of a trial court’s authority to exclude scientific evidence — in this instance, evidence of alleged cocaine use by the driver of a motor vehicle involved in a fatal accident and evidence of his ensuing impairment — under Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharm., Inc., 509 U.S. 579, 113 S.Ct. 2786, 125 L.Ed.2d 469 (1993). We conclude that the court below abused its discretion in excluding certain of this evidence and that the magnitude of the error necessitates a new trial.

I. BACKGROUND

On an afternoon in September of 1992, Julio Elvin…