Coene v. 3M Company

Robert Coene (plaintiff), a Kodak technician who spent most of his time 3D-printing camera parts using silica-and-nylon or silica-and-resin powders melted by lasers, wore a 3M (defendant) respirator mask during printing, sandblasting, and brushing but developed silicosis and lung scarring; he sued 3M, claiming the mask failed. His expert, toxicologist Dr. Meggs, reviewed the printing process, the powders used, technical literature on silica crystallization during heating, and Coene's medical records, concluding the sintering process created crystalline silica that caused Coene's silicosis. 3M moved for summary judgment, arguing Meggs's opinion was unreliable and inadmissible under Daubert because he lacked specific expertise in 3D printing and had no quantitative exposure data.