A California federal judge excluded eight defense expert witnesses in a nationwide HIV drug mass tort action, concluding their prepared opinions were essentially the same and likely ghostwritten by counsel.

The Texas-based legal team for the Holley v. Gilead Sciences plaintiffs—thousands of patients using Gilead’s medication for treating HIV treatment or prevention—challenged the defense witnesses based on comparisons of their submitted opinions. They asserted the witnesses fell short of Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and the U.S. Supreme Court’s Daubert standard for expert testimony admissibility.