As the defense lawyer who brought the “gatekeeper” function to state litigation – giving trial judges the power to screen out junk science masquerading as expert opinion – it sure looks that way to some litigators and judges.

Five years ago, when he was just defending another client, DuPont, in a toxic-tort case, he certainly didn’t expect the case to lurch out of the courtroom and start wreaking havoc across the Texas countryside.