Human Heredity 11th Edition by Michael Cummings

Exercise 15

You are an expert witness called by the defense in a case in which a former employee is suing an industrial company because his son was born with muscular dystrophy, an X-linked recessive disorder. The employee claims that he was exposed to mutagenic chemicals in the workplace that caused his son's illness. His attorney argues that neither the employee nor his wife or their parents have this genetic disorder, and, therefore, the disease in the employee's son represents a new mutation. How would you analyze this case? What would you say to the jury to refute this man's case?