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 University and St. Johns University School of Law, Hannemann...

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 Canady has authorized the use of remote technology in civil...

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 Tremco, Inc. (“Tremco”) to a judgment notwithstanding the...

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 a prime venue for plaintiffs seeking a friendly forum....

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 cases across the country rose in number, due largely to a...

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 advisories are linked on the Florida Supreme Court's website:...

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 Fourth DCA found the lawsuit didn’t meet the state’s causation...

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 increase in lung cancer filings.” [1] The number of lung cancer...