McDaniel v. CSX Transportation, Inc.

OPINION

ANDERSON, Chief Justice.

We granted this interlocutory appeal to clarify the standards for the admissibility of scientific evidence under Tennessee Rules of Evidence 702 and 703.

The trial court, after a Tenn. R. Evid. 104 pretrial evidentiary hearing, admitted into evidence the testimony of plaintiffs’ experts who relied on epidemiological studies to prove that exposure to organic solvents caused a form of brain damage known as toxic encephalopathy. The trial court found that this scientific evidence would substantially assist the trier of fact and was reliable and trustworthy.

The Court…