Ranching family claims poisoning

Four members of a New Mexico ranching family, claiming that exposure to poisonous horse feed made them sick, get a hearing next week before the state Supreme Court. Joey and Paula Parkhill and their two young daughters sued Alderman-Cave Milling and Grain Co. of New Mexico for millions of dollars in damages. They said horse feed contaminated with the chemical monensin killed or maimed their herd of about 50 Quarter Horses in 2004. The Parkhills say they also were sickened after they handled the feed or breathed dust particles from it. The family received a settlement for the loss of its horses. But the Parkhills have failed in two attempts to use witnesses who claim they were harmed by the horse feed. A district Judge in Grant County disallowed their family physician from testifying and also blocked another doctor hired by the family, saying neither qualified as an expert. The state Court of Appeals last year affirmed that ruling. But the Parkhills' lawsuit is still alive. The Supreme Court on May 11 will hear arguments on whether the case should be returned to the trial court so that the two physicians can be heard regarding the family's alleged medical problems...more