Law professor comments on cancer death lawsuit

Professor Betsy Grey of the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law was quoted in a Sept. 20 article in The Arizona Republic, “Apache Junction widow seeks truth in husband’s cancer death,” by reporter Ken Alltucker.

Alltucker wrote about a lawsuit filed against a chemical manufacturer by Joanne Branham in connection with an alleged brain-cancer cluster that killed 10 people, including her husband Frank, and sickened others in a small Illinois community. The company that owned the plant near the Branham’s home has denied liability in the case.

Proving that the chemicals used triggered brain cancer, and demonstrating that it caused Frank Branham’s illness could be tough. “It is extremely difficult to prove causation,” Grey said.

Grey, a Faculty Fellow in the College of Law’s Center for Law, Science & Innovation, publishes and teaches on issues of tort law, products liability and mass tort litigation, as well as neuroscience and law, and has presented to judicial conferences and other professional groups on these issues. Her recent scholarly work has focused on the study of no-fault compensation systems in the United States, as well as the impact of advancements in neuroscience on tort law. Grey also has taught products liability as part of a common law program to law students in France.

Janie Magruder, [email protected]
(480) 727-9052
Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law