The asbestos filings nationwide have decreased slightly in the first quarter of 2023 but are expected to be similar to 2022 filings, reports Washington D.C.-based technology and management consulting firm KCIC.
While asbestos case filings have been down about 3 percent nationwide so far this year, Madison and St. Clair Counties remain the top asbestos jurisdictions.
"This case is not Garlock, and I am not Judge Hodges, nor is Judge Whitley for that matter. Neither of us are bound by the Garlock decision and you failed to give me proper credit by presuming that because that case was heard in this district the outcome of an estimation trial in this case would necessarily be the same or even similar."
Attendees at a recent conference on asbestos litigation were advised to ask claimants about the history of cancer in families, and potentially then ask for a test because of the link between some mesothelioma cases and potential genetic factors.
While the number of new asbestos cases in hotspot jurisdictions across the country is declining overall - and in all types of diseases - the docket in St. Clair County is surging almost exclusively with lung cancer cases.
A business consultant who helps companies manage their product liabilities is calling for asbestos defendants to collaborate more in order to achieve better equilibrium with plaintiffs whose litigation risks pale in comparison.
