There's nothing new about asbestos plaintiffs' lawyers trying to manipulate the legal system. However, there is a new twist, described on the opinion pages of California's statewide legal newspaper, the Daily Journal.
A new generation of asbestos trusts, established to pay claims on behalf of bankrupt manufacturers, tempts plaintiffs' lawyers to seek double recoveries by concealing their clients' trust recoveries from tort defendants, Jacob Cohn and Joseph Arnold wrote in an op-ed published June 22.
Cohn, a member in the Philadelphia office of Cozen O'Connor's Global Insurance Group, and Arnold, an associate in the same office, examine why California's courts should level the playing field by requiring full disclosure by asbestos claimants of their claims to, and recoveries from, asbestos trusts.
Daily Journal - New Generation of Asbestos Trusts Encourages Double-Dipping.pdf