The Limits of Litigation

Book excerpt: As one participant in the litigation noted, the controversy surrounding the Dalkon Shield constitutes the "largest product liability medical malpractice group of cases in 20th century America." This volume brings together the many complex facts of the Dalkon Shield story and the decade of litigation into a manageable, readable format. At the same time, Bacigal considers the role that a trial judge plays in such complex litigation. The traditional notion of detached and neutral judges seems inappropriate in resolving a legal dispute that involved hundreds of thousands of victims in a common disaster. The judicial roles played by Judge Lord and Judge Merhige have received both considerable praise and criticism from legal scholars and the general public. This volume goes beyond existing volumes dealing with the Dalkon Shield cases because it includes the bankruptcy proceedings. By "completing the story," Bacigal provides an overview of the controversy from the creation of the shield through the completion of the litigation, thus evaluating the legal and pragmatic difficulties encountered in utilizing bankruptcy as a means of resolving mass tort litigation.