PHILADELPHIA – Lawyer Jeffrey Varas of Hazelhurst, Miss., who charged that defendants in national asbestos litigation generated false allegations against his clients from a dysfunctional database, withdrew the charge a week later.
On July 13 Varas and defense lawyer Marcy Croft of Jackson, Miss., advised District Judge Eduardo Robreno that they met and resolved their issues.
Varas withdrew a July 6 motion for sanctions, and Croft withdrew a motion to dismiss claims of Varas's clients.
They wrote that they would provide the court with a list of plaintiffs whose claims would be dismissed, transferred to bankruptcy dockets or proceeded upon.
Robreno presides over pretrial proceedings in asbestos suits from around the nation by appointment of the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multi District Litigation.
Last year he ordered any plaintiff suing more than one defendant to sever the suit and state a specific claim against each defendant.
Asbestos lawyers began settling and dropping cases at a phenomenal rate.
In May Robreno reported resolution of more than 500,000 claims in four months.