Joe Napsha of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review recently wrote an article entitled “Asbestos lawsuits spread like wildfire.” Here are some excerpts: An estimated 100 million workers…have been exposed to asbestos, according to the Sebago Associates 2002 report for the American Insurance Association. So many workers have been exposed to asbestos because the mineral, which has been…
Category Archives: Asbestos Lawsuits
Coalition for Asbestos Reform opposes FAIR
According to Insurance Journal, an asbestos reform group has launched a national PR campaign against the Specter-Leahy bill : The Coalition for Asbestos Reform (C.A.R.), a group of small and medium sized businesses and major insurance companies, has engaged a team of veteran campaign, advertising and public relations professionals to launch a major national campaign…
Anthony J. Sebok’s take on FAIR
FindLaw.com columnist (and PhD) Anthony J. Sebok has just written an interesting article discussing the benefits of FAIR. Here are the first few paragraphs: Last month, in the midst of the Senate’s pitched battle over the filibuster, the Judiciary Committee approved an asbestos reform bill. The bill is laudable; it shows how much good politicians…
Senators Clash on Asbestos Litigation Bill
AP is reporting that senators Frist and Reid are butting heads (sort of) over the asbestos bill: WASHINGTON — Tongue firmly in cheek, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist–a cardiac surgeon–pledged Tuesday to resuscitate Democratic leader Harry Reid if Senate legislation to curb the increasing number of asbestos lawsuits makes him ill. “I want that bill…
Medical whistleblowers speak out against FDA
EurekaAlert has published a very interesting article about medical whistleblowers speaking out… The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was “the single greatest obstacle to doing anything effective” about Vioxx, said FDA drug safety officer David Graham at an unprecedented roundtable of medical whistleblowers sponsored by the Public Library of Science (PLoS) and the Government…
Want to know more about the FAIR Act?
Now that the Fairness in Asbestos Injury Resolution Act (FAIR Act) has been okayed for the Senate floor, it’s time to learn what this bill is all about. The key provisions of the bill, which will “take asbestos injury claims out of the courts and pay them from a $140 billion privately-financed fund,” are below….
Asbestos bill makes it past Senate panel
Good ol’ Reuters is reporting that the US Senate panel has approved the asbestos fund, and that the bill is now all set for the Senate: WASHINGTON, May 26 (Reuters) – Legislation to create a $140 billion asbestos compensation fund was approved by the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday, but there were immediate warnings…
Asbestos bill seen clearing Senate panel soon
Reuters is reporting that the US asbestos bill should soon be clearing the Senate panel as soon as today: Sponsors of a bill to create a $140 billion asbestos compensation fund said on Thursday they aimed to clear the bill out of the Senate Judiciary Committee and send it to the full Senate within hours….
Asbestos suits in Alabama…
The Birmingham News ran an interesting piece by Thomas Spencer on May 23rd about the unique plight of asbestos victims living in Alabama. Here’s a bit of it: Without a national settlement, Alabama victims of asbestos exposure face dwindling legal options. Most can’t sue in their own state’s courts because illness caused by asbestos exposure…
Asbestos shares rise
Reuters is reporting that shares of asbestos have risen sharply now that the US Senate has been able to compromise on the issue of judges. WASHINGTON, May 24 (Reuters) – Shares of companies with asbestos liabilities rose sharply on Tuesday after the U.S. Senate settled an unrelated battle over judges, allowing work to progress on…