62 pages 2 hours read

Jonathan Harr

A Civil Action

Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 1995

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Billion-Dollar Charlie

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Summary: “Billion-Dollar Charlie”

1

 

Two weeks after the Woodshed Conference, Skinner summons the lawyers to his chambers. Citing a number of articles by a law professor named Charles Nesson, he asks Schlichtmann to explain to him how he plans to proceed with statistical evidence; for instance, if his experts cannot conclude that TCE caused the illnesses, but they are willing to bet on it because of its high probability. Skinner wants to better understand the lawyers’ approach to the problem of using statistics as proof. Schlichtmann responds that the case will be proven on purely clinical grounds. He will not try to prove causation with statistics.

 

Neil Jacobs says that the Harvard Health Study is statistical evidence only and should not be admitted in light of Schlichtmann’s statement about clinical proof. Cheeseman says that he also intends to challenge the inclusion of the study as evidence.

 

2

 

For three weeks, Cheeseman and Facher depose nineteen members of the Woburn families. Schlichtmann attends them all. Each family is questioned about its use of over five-hundred household products containing various chemicals, as each item contains a known carcinogen, even peanut butter. Because there is no conclusive cause of leukemia, they will use this list to introduce doubt.