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 history, Pre-Judgment Interest has been enacted, applying to all...

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 Florida’s civil justice system. The Supreme Court approved the...

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 Appellate Division unanimously affirmed the decisions of...

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 vacating the jury’s verdict, the Court concluded that the “jury’s...

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 Chief Justice Charles Canady authorized in five circuits. The...

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 will provide the firm's St. Louis operation, which currently...

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 Martin Shulman, a long-time NYCAL judge who has presided over...

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 million per plaintiff) and $4.4 Billion dollars in punitive...