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Asbestos
KCIC: Madison, St. Clair Counties were top asbestos jurisdiction in 2023; Cook County saw greatest increase
Madison and St. Clair Counties again saw the most asbestos case filings for 2023 nationwide, and Cook County saw the highest increase in filings according to a report by KCIC, a Washington D.C.-based technology and management consulting company.
Asbestos
KCIC report: Madison, St. Clair Counties see most asbestos filings for 2022; Cook County ranked #7
Madison and St. Clair County again saw the most asbestos case filings for 2022, according to an annual report by Washington D.C.-based technology and management consulting firm KCIC.
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Asbestos
IL appeals panel: Asbestos lawsuit can continue vs property owner, as well as employer of man hired to remove debris
Claims not barred because there was no valid contract between firm and employee, panel determines, so everyone involved could be on the hook
Asbestos
Even homeowners could be in danger of lawyers trying to cash in on coronavirus
They’ve already sued cruise ship operators, soap manufacturers and insurance companies, but COVID-19 will give entrepreneurial lawyers plenty more opportunities to make money by targeting nursing homes, hospitals, pharmaceutical manufacturers, retailers and possibly even homeowners over the disease.
Asbestos
Plaintiff lawyers and their experts push FDA panel to expand definition of asbestos; Pills, chewing gum among products possibly affected
WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) - A fierce behind-the-scenes conflict is growing as law firms that specialize in asbestos litigation urge the Food and Drug Administration to broaden the definition of mineral particles believed to cause disease while industry representatives try to make it narrower.
Asbestos
Illinois appeals court tosses $3.3M asbestos verdict, says it's not clear company's products caused worker's death
An Illinois appeals panel has overturned a McLean County jury’s verdict in an asbestos case, saying there was not enough evidence for the jury to find a deceased glazier contracted lung disease from a company's weatherproofing products.
Asbestos
Appeals panel: Judge OK to leave other, settled defendants off jury form in $6M asbestos verdict
Cook County judge didn't make errors in multi-million dollar action
Asbestos
US appeals court shuts down try by asbestos plaintiffs to skip state court for key legal question in mesothelioma suit
A three-judge panel of the U.S. Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals has rejected an effort by plaintiffs in an asbestos mesothelioma lawsuit to accelerate their case by using the federal courts to answer a legal question already posed in the state court hearing their personal injury case.
Asbestos
Panel: Asbestos exposure over 30-plus years at multiple factories isn't just one insurable occurence
A state appeals court has determined an insurer can’t treat thousands of claims related to asbestos against one business as a single occurrence for the purposes of policy coverage, a decision that significantly expands the amount of money potentially available to plaintiffs in a Cook County lawsuit.
Asbestos
Workers' comp bill on Pritzker's desk will expose more companies to asbestos lawsuits, attorney says
Some companies may be exposed to more asbestos lawsuits under proposed legislation now on Illinois Gov. J.B Pritzker's desk.
Asbestos
Multidistrict litigation swamps courts as rules struggle to catch up; Is reform on the way?
Multidistrict litigation – sprawling cases sometimes involving thousands of plaintiffs from all over the country – now represents more than half of the civil caseload in federal courts, according to a new survey, yet defendants complain the rules governing them are largely judge-made and haphazardly enforced.
Asbestos
State passes bill lifting 25-year statute of repose for occupational disease lawsuits
The state has passed a bill that lifts restrictions for when workers suffering from occupational disease, such as asbestos, must file suit against an employer.
Asbestos
Trial lawyers are paying millions to a handful of experts necessary to push their talc cases
A small group of highly paid experts, one of whom recently testified his firm has made $30 million offering mostly pro-plaintiff testimony, are the key ingredient for more than 10,000 lawsuits claiming talcum powder is laced with deadly asbestos, forming the tip of an inverted pyramid upon which the rest of the cases depend.
Asbestos
Appeals panel: Federal judge wrong to deny Boeing military contractor defense in asbestos suit
A Chicago federal appeals court has overridden a downstate federal judge, who sent an ex-Boeing worker’s asbestos suit against the company back to state court, saying the case belongs under federal jurisdiction because Boeing claims the federal government was in control of its bomber production and knew the danger of asbestos was involved.
Asbestos
Cook County courts earn 'dishonorable mention' on 'Judicial Hellholes' list; Madison, St. Clair counties rank 8th
Cook County has avoided a spot on the list of America’s worst “judicial hellholes” this year. However, the county’s civil courts still received a “dishonorable mention” in an annual report calling attention to some of the country’s most litigious local court systems.
Asbestos
Appeals panel undoes $4.6M verdict for man who claimed contracted cancer from asbestos in welding rods
A state appeals panel has overturned a $4.6 million judgment in favor of a man who said he contracted mesothelioma by inhaling asbestos fibers while working near welding rods.