Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) recently signed into law comprehensive legal reforms that significantly change the legal landscape in Florida.  Under the new law, which is aimed at improving lawsuit abuse, the following changes have been made: Replaces pure...

With practices in New Jersey, Pennsylvania & Delaware, The Cook Group has been watching what will happen with the proposed filing deadline change announced by The U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in January 2023. The proposed filing deadline...

Florida Legislature Looking At Sweeping Tort Reform In Spring Session New legislation contained in House Bill 837 and its companion bill, Senate Bill 236, which was introduced at the start of the 2023 Spring Session of the Florida state legislature, offers some...

ST. LOUIS - FEBRUARY 28, 2023 The Cook Group is pleased to announce the addition of Partner John Beseau to the firm’s St. Louis office. John is a skilled attorney who focuses his practice on construction and commercial litigation, including real estate disputes, in...

  The USDC Eastern District of Missouri operates a post plea, pre-sentence diversion program known as SAIL (Sentencing Alternatives Improving Lives) for select defendants.  The Court recently reached out to The Cook Group in St. Louis for support through our...

The Cook Group’s Hanson Horn and Ryan Sweeney secured a dismissal for their client after full briefing and oral argument before the New York First Department Appellate Division. By way of background, Hanson and Ryan moved for dismissal on behalf of an out of state...

We are pleased to report TCG was one of 26 firms that have been certified by Diversity Lab as having achieved Midsize Mansfield Rule Certification status.  In addition, TCG was one of 16 firms that achieved “Certification Plus” designation. Certification Plus status...

The Cook Group, PLLC, a multi-state litigation law firm with key practices in products liability, general liability, commercial litigation, appellate issues and sports management, proudly celebrates the second anniversary of its founding by announcing its official...

Pennsylvania Supreme Court declares jurisdictional statute unconstitutional in major victory for out-of-state businesses. On December 22, 2021, The Pennsylvania Supreme Court issued a decision in Mallory v. Norfolk Southern Railway Company, declaring a...

The Cook Group is excited to have our very own Kerryann Cook and Armand Kalfayan presenting at this year's Perrin New York Asbestos Litigation Conference. The conference is scheduled for Tuesday December 7 at the Sheraton Times Square. The event is a great day of...

ST. LOUIS – DECEMBER 1, 2021 - The Cook Group, PLLC, a multi-state litigation law firm with key practices in products liability, general liability, commercial litigation, appellate issues and sports management, is pleased to announce that Brian Wacker has joined the...

The Cook Group, PLLC, a multi-state litigation law firm with key practices in products liability, general liability, commercial litigation, appellate issues and sports management, is pleased to announce the expansion of its Delaware Valley presence with the addition...

On September 9, 2021, New York’s highest court, the Court of Appeals, sided with The Cook Group in refusing to grant Lipsitz & Ponterio’s Motion for Leave in three collective appeals: Brenon, Schreiber, and Henderson. The Cook Group was originally successful in...

On August 26, 2021, the Florida Supreme Court issued an order, on its own motion, amending the Florida Rules of Civil Procedure by adopting new Rule of Civil Procedure 1.280(h) and codifying the “apex” doctrine in the corporate context. See In re Amendment to Florida...

As a cutting-edge firm always tuned in to the latest developments of the law across the country, The Cook Group brings news of an Illinois law going into effect this summer, with a significant impact on Illinois cases and clients. For the first time in Illinois...

The Florida Supreme Court has amended the Florida Rules of Civil Procedure to adopt the federal summary judgment standard. The new standard is expected to make it easier for judges to grant summary judgment motions and should improve the fairness and efficiency of...

The Cook Group’s Alysa Koloms and Armand Kalfayan have successfully fought off an attempt at the appellate level  to overturn three separate motions to dismiss granted to our client, Special Electric Company.  On November 13, 2020, New York’s Fourth Department of the...

On August 5, 2020, the Florida 11th Judicial Circuit Court for Miami-Dade County ordered a new trial on damages in an asbestos-talcum powder case that resulted in a $9 million verdict against defendants associated with Johnson & Johnson earlier this year. In...

During the month of July, jury trials “resumed” in both state and federal courts in Florida, albeit with several restrictions. Florida’s first civil jury trial, People’s Trust Insurance Company vs. Yusem Corchero et al., was part of a voluntary pilot program that...

The Cook Group is pleased to share that its St. Louis office has finalized a lease to move into the Peabody Building, one of the prime commercial buildings in downtown St. Louis. The St. Louis Business Journal published a release announcing the move. The new suite...

On July 13, 2020, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced four new judicial appointments to the First Department of the Appellate Division.  Elevated judges include Justice Manuel Mendez, current Coordinating Judge of the New York City Asbestos Litigation; Justice...

On June 23, 2020, the Missouri Court of Appeals rendered its decision in Ingham v. Johnson & Johnson, et al. No. ED107476, (Mo. Ct. App. E.D., 2020.) Johnson and Johnson appealed the trial court’s verdict awarding $550 million dollars in compensatory damages ($25...

NEW YORK CITY, NY (June 8, 2020) - Kevin Hannemann, formerly Associate Claims Counsel at The RiverStone Group and previously Senior Asbestos Claims Analyst at Resolute Management, Inc., has joined The Cook Group in its New York City office.  A graduate of New York...

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the legal profession with a wide range of issues, particularly for areas of litigation with an increasing backlog of cases in already bottle-necked trial dockets. In an attempt to mitigate those issues, Florida Chief Justice Charles...

The Illinois Fourth District Appellate Court recently reversed a $3.2 million asbestos jury verdict entered against a roofing material manufacturer. [1] In Krumwiede v. Tremco, the court found that the plaintiff presented insufficient evidence of causation, entitling...

Proposed House Bill 5044, which is currently in committee in the Illinois General Assembly, seeks to amend the Illinois Code of Civil Procedure to expressly abolish the doctrine of intrastate forum non conveniens, a development that would further solidify Illinois as...

Highlights: The number of asbestos lawsuits in 2019 remained steady from 2017 and 2018. The jurisdictions where The Cook Group focuses its practice—New York City and Madison County, IL—once again hosted the majority of mesothelioma claims filed nationwide. Lung cancer...

The Florida Supreme Court announced that due to the COVID-19 virus, the current suspension of all jury trials in state courts is extended until July 2, 2020.  Future extensions will be considered if needed.  All Florida state court COVID-19 emergency orders and...

Florida’s Fourth District Court of Appeal in Robert J. O’Donnell and Sandra O’Donnell v. W.F. Taylor Co., Inc., et al., recently  upheld a Palm County Circuit Court’s final judgment granting five defendants’ companion motion for summary judgment on causation. The...

According to the annual KCIC 2019 Asbestos Litigation report https://www.kcic.com/asbestos, Madison County, Illinois remained the nation’s busiest jurisdiction for asbestos filings with “28 percent of all filings in the country, 1,150 last year, and a 41 percent...