Developments in General Causation Methodologies for Class Certification
In product liability class actions, general causation i.e., a product's propensity to cause alleged injuries is often a threshold issue to establish liability if general causation cannot be established, no class member's claim is viable. This concept is distinct from and precedes specific causation i.e. whether the product caused a particular injury. Because specific causation often cannot be determined in common, to certify a class action, plaintiffs may need evidence of a methodology to prove general causation.
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