Mudge
A legal malpractice case brought against a number of Madison County asbestos attorneys and the former Hopkins Goldenberg law firm has a new judge.
Madison County Circuit Judge William Mudge will take over the case filed by Judy Buckles, a former Hopkins Goldenberg client, who claims attorneys from that firm and later attorney John Simmons botched the settlements of her husband's mesothelioma lawsuit.
The suit was originally brought in 2001 before Buckles dropped it. She re-filed the case in 2006.
The Buckles suit has been at the Fifth District Appellate Court in Mount Vernon since last year.
Buckles is appealing three orders issued by Madison County Circuit Judge Barbara Crowder.
Those orders included one that upheld the summary judgment granted to John Simmons and his law firm.
Buckles is currently suing the firm of Goldenberg, Heller, Antognoli, Rowland and Short – the successor to the Hopkins Goldenberg Firm.
Crowder also granted the Goldenberg defendants summary judgment on several of Buckles' claims last year.
The plaintiff is also appealing that decision.
Attorney William Miller was also dropped from the suit.
The Jan. 11 order assigning Mudge to the case notes that there were no legal issues for Crowder to decide that would keep the suit from joining the rest of her former civil docket under Mudge's oversight.
Crowder took over the Madison County asbestos docket after the retirement of Madison County Circuit Judge Daniel Stack.
Roy Dripps represents Buckles.
John Papa and others represent the Goldenberg firm.
The case is Madison case number 06-L-588.