St. Clair County Circuit Judge Christopher Kolker denied Courtroom View Network's request to video record a trial that began in his court Monday on claims that Johnson & Johnson's talcum powder caused ovarian cancer.
CVN's national editor David Siegel called Kolker's July 7 decision "extremely disappointing" as neither side of the case objected to the coverage.
"Courtroom View Network has been the leading news media organization dedicated to providing discreet, respectful and unobtrusive gavel-to-gavel video coverage of cosmetic talc trials for over five years," Siegel stated.
"The many cosmetic talc trials subject to this video coverage benefited from increased public access and transparency in court proceedings that are of real news value for the educational and professional communities that CVN primarily serves. Remote video coverage of these trials is particularly helpful for journalists, especially in the context of an ongoing pandemic. While CVN understands that video coverage of this current trial is subject to the Court's discretion, we find it extremely disappointing that despite no objections from the parties and CVN's extensive track record of providing similar coverage on dozens of prior occasions throughout the United States, that firsthand access for the public to this trial will essentially stop at the physical courthouse door."
The case was brought by the estate of Betty Driscoll, the late aunt of plaintiff attorney John Driscoll.
Driscoll's complaint seeks damages for failure to warn women of danger.
Kolker indicated in a June 15 pre-trial hearing that he would not allow anyone who was not vaccinated to enter his court.