Chandler Exterminators v. Morris (1992)

Definition

The testimony of neuropsychologists is commonly challenged by defense attorneys in cases relating to inferences of subtle brain changes associated with neurotoxic brain injury. In the case of Schudel v. General Electric (1995), plaintiffs accepted neuropsychological evidence for brain damage caused by organic solvents and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). However, the federal appeals court from the Ninth Circuit ruled that neuropsychological testimony is limited only to damages and cannot determine physical causation. The court opined that determination of causation is relegated to medical doctors (MDs) or left to the discretion of the jury to make connections between neurocognitive deficits presented and exposure to toxins. In the case of Chandler Exterminators v. Morris (1992), the Georgia Supreme Court ruled in favor of the trial court’s decision to prohibit neuropsychological testimony that proposed a link between neurotoxicants and impaired neuropsychological test...