RJ Reynolds
Galbraith Deposition Transcript Deposition of Sheldon C. Sommers.
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- Site
- Wcsr
- Control Central
- Author
- Sommers, S.C.
- Date Loaded
- 27 Feb 1998
- Box
- Rjr4115
- Request
- Initial
- Disclosure
- Minnesota
- Letter
- Request
- 19970311
- Cordova
- 1rfp29
- Texas
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- DEPOSITION
- UCSF Legacy ID
- sck15d00
Document Images
Srt-PERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA
COUNTY OF SANTA BARBARA
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ELAYNE D. GALBRAITH, et al.,
Plaintiffs,
& Wolff, Esqs., 30 Rockefeller Plaza,
New York, New York, on September 4, 1985,
7( -against- No. 144417
811 R.J. REYNOLDS TOBACCO COMPANY, etc.,
, et al.,
Defendants.
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Deposition of SHELDON C. SOMMERS, M.D.,
taken by Plaintiffs pursuant to court order,
at the offices of Chadbourne Parke Whiteside
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at
10:05 a.m., before Alan Pudding, a Shorthand
Reporter and Notary Public within
and for the State of New York.
kin
132 NASSAU STREET SUITE 600 NEW YORK. NEW YORK 10036 (c 2) ^r.:.'-14Ci.
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A P P E A R A N C E S:
LAW OFFICES OF MELVIN M. BELLI, SR.
Attorneys for Plaintiff
The Be11i'Building
722 Montgomery Street
San Francisco, California 94111
BY: PAUL M. MON2IONE, ESQ.,
of Counsel.
LAWLER FELIX & HALL, ESQS.
Attorneys for Defendant R.J. Reynolds
Tobacco Company
700 South Flower Street
Los Angeles, California 90017
BY: F. JOHN NYHAN, ESQ.,
of Counsel.
JONES DAY REAVIS & POGUE, ESQS.
Attorneys for Defendant R.J. Reynolds
Tobacco Company
1700 Huntington Building
Cleveland, Ohio 44115
BY: MICHAEL A. NIMS, ESQ.,
of Counsel.
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S H E L D O N C. S O M M E R S,
residing at Cambridge Way, P.O. Box 1115,
Alpine, New Jersey 07620, having been first
duly sworn by the Notary Public (Alan
Pudding), was examined and testified as
follows:
EXAMINATION BY MR. MONZIONE:
Q. Doctor, would you please state your
full name for the record.
A. Sheldon Charles Sommers.
Q. Your address is?
A. Home address, Cambridge Way, P.O. Box
1115, Alpine, New Jersey 07620.
Q. Doctor, I take it you understand that
you have been designated as an expert witness in
this case of Galbraith versus R.J. Reynolds and
others by the defendant, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco
Company; is that correct?
A. Yes.
Q. Has it been explained to you, Doctor,
that today's deposition is being taken pursuant
to a court ordered commission to have you appear
and be deposed?
MR. NYHAN: Object to the form of the
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Sommers 4
question on the grounds that it is misleading.
You may state what your understanding of the
record is. I think you mischaracterized what's
been done.
Q. What's your understanding? Has
anybody explained to you, Doctor, under what law
or under what compelling statute that you're
present here today?
A. No.
Q. Mr. Nyhan or no lawyers have explained
under what force you are compelled to attend this
deposition?
A.
No.
Q. Did you bring any documents or any of
your files pertaining to this case with you today?
A. No.
MR. NYHAN: Objection to the form of
the question on the grounds it assumes there are
such documents. I don't think you've laid an
adequate foundation.
Q. Do you have a file on this case of
Galbraith versus R.J. Reynolds?
A. Not a file.
Q.
Do you have any documents which
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Sommers
pertain to this case?
A. Yes.
Q. What do those documents consist of?
A. Interrogatory and a photocopy of a
6J letter written to you by Dr. Yesner, and a
7I1 covering letter of transmittal.
81 Q. When you say interrogatories, could
1 you be a bit more specific as to what
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interrogatories those are, if you know?
A. Interrogatory is a technical term, and
this involved answers on the part of one or more
of the complainants to questions asked by the
attorneys for the defense.
Q. You reviewed those, Doctor?
A. I read the interrogatory.
Q.
You have seen the interrogatories and
the plaintiffs' responses to the interrogatories;
is that correct?
A. Just one interroga-kory, I believe.
Q.
When you say just one interrogatory,
just one set or just one question and one answer?
A. No. A document of some 35 to 40
typewritten pages.
Q. Do you know whether those
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Sommers 6
interrogatories were supplemental responses or
original responses, or a combination of original
and supplemental responses?
A. No.
Q. You haven't brought those with you
today to the deposition?
A. No.
Q. Were you instructed not to bring
documents to the deposition?
A.
Q. No.
Were you
instructed to bring documents
to the deposition?
A. No.
Q. Besides the interrogatories that
you've read, you've mentioned Dr. Raymond Yesner's
letter addressed to Mr. Monzione; is that correct?
A Y
.
Q. es.
I gather
that
you have
read that
letter?
A.
Q. Yes.
You say
there
was a transmittal
letter
with that. A re you referring to something that
was sent to y ou by the Lawler Felix & Hall office?
A. I don't recall the name of the law
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Sommers 7
firm.
Q. Do you recall from whom it was sent?
A. It was signed by Mr. Nyhan.
Q. Apart from the letter sent to you by
Mr. Nyhan and Dr. Yesner's letter to me, and
the
interrogatories, are there any other documents
8! which you possess or have under your control
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which pertain to this case?
A. No.
MR. MONZIONE: Let's go off the record.
(Discussion off the record.)
Q. Doctor, do you have a curriculum vitae?
A. Yes.
Q. You've brought that with you?
A. No .
MR. NYHAN: I did, and if you would
like a copy of it, we'd be pleased to make that
available to you.
MR. MONZIONE: I would appreciate that,
counselor. Thank you.
Q. You probably won't have any trouble
understanding my Boston accent, because I see
from your curriculum vitae you've spent time
there.
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Sommers 8
Doctor, have you had a chance to look
at that curriculum vitae prior to Mr. Nyhan
providing it to me?
A. Yes.
Q. You now have it before you.
7; MR. MONZIONE: I'm going to ask that
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the court reporter mark that as the first exhibit
to this deposition, please. Then I'11*ask you a
couple of questions about it.
(Document, above
referred to, marked as Sommers Exhibit 1 for
identification, as of this date.)
Q. Doctor, your curriculum vitae has been
marked as Exhibit 1 for this deposition, and I'm
going to refer to it as such so you'll know what
I'm talking about.
Is this an updated curriculum vitae,
Doctor?
A. Yes.
Q. I notice it does not include a list of
your publications. Do you have such a list?
A. There is such a list.
Q. You don't have that with you either?
A. No.
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Sommers 9
MR. NYHAN: Again, I brought it with
ne. If you'd like a copy, we'll make it
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available.
MR. MONZIONE: I would like that.
Thank you.
Q. Have you had a
Doctor, prior to it being
talking about the list of
chance to see this,
given to me? I'm
your publications.
A. I looked over it, about the last seven
or eight pages.
121 Q. Did you do that today?
13I A. Yes.
14 ' Q From your review of it at that time,
151 can you tell whether this is an updated list of
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your published articles?
17 A. Yes.
18 Q. Is it?
19 A. Yes .
20 MR. MONZIONE: I'm going to ask that
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21 this be marked next in order as an exhibit to
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23I (Document, above
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identification, as of this date.)
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Q. On your curriculum vitae, Doctor, it
says American Board certificate in pathology
pathology and pathologic anatomy), 1950. In
(clinical
addition to that certificate, are there any other
certification.s which you possess?
A. In New York State, the license to
practice, I believe, is called a certificate.
Q. Are you board certified in any other
areas of medicine besides pathology?
A. No.
Q. It also states on your curriculum
vitae, Doctor, that you were on the Scientific
Advisory Board, Council for Tobacco Research,
1967, research director 1969 through 1972, and
scientific director, 1981. Are you presently the
scientific director of the Council for Tobacco
Research?
A. Yes.
Q.
When did you begin any affiliation or
association with the Council for Tobacco Research?
A. Affiliation began when I joined the
Scientific Advisory Board in 1967. I had once
previously been invited to discuss my research at
the Board meeting approximately 1965.
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