| October 5, 2016 |
| New Developments |
| Illinois Supreme Court finds Six Person Jury Demand Unconstitutional By Jen Dlugosz On June 1, 2015, Public Act 1132 (the “Act”) became effective. The Act reduced the size of civil juries in Illinois to 6 persons from 12 persons, thus litigants demanding a jury after June 1, 2015 could no |
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| September 2, 2016 |
| New Developments |
| Toward a Defense of Mesothelioma Cases on Causation: Low Doses and Genetics By Mark Zellmer Today’s defendants in asbestos litigation often face plaintiffs’ claims that they have contracted mesothelioma from exposure to low or even doubtful doses of asbestos. If the mesothelioma looks to be spontaneous (idiopathic) or the result |
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| August 3, 2016 |
| New Developments |
| Northern District of Illinois Denies Plaintiff’s Motion for Reconsideration in Take-Home Exposure Case By Jen Dlugosz In May 2016, we reported the Northern District of Illinois’ decision in Neumann v. Borg-Warner Morse Tec LLC, No. 15-C-10507, 2016 WL 930662 (N.D. Ill. March 10, 2016). Following that ruling, plaintiff moved for |
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The Environmental Working Group (“EWG”), a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, issued a report on July 21, 2016 recommending the ten chemicals it thinks should be assessed first under the amended Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).
| July 1, 2016 |
| New Developments |
| Fifth District Ordered to Hear Ford Motor Company’s Appeal on Personal Jurisdiction Motion By Jenna Marie Stupar and Nicho Kelly In November, the Madison County Circuit Court denied a motion by Ford Motor Company to dismiss an asbestos case for lack of personal jurisdiction. The court found that Ford’s “substantial” business |
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| June 2, 2016 |
| New Developments |
| Southern District of Illinois Rules it Does Not Have Personal Jurisdiction Over Defendant in Asbestos Case By Jenna Marie Stupar This March, the Southern District of Illinois ruled in favor of Defendant The William Powell Company (“Powell”) on its motion to dismiss for lack of personal jurisdiction. [Continue Reading] |
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| May 2, 2016 |
| New Developments |
| Northern District of Illinois Decision on Take-Home Exposure Liability has Limited Application By Lindsay McClure-Hartman The Northern District of Illinois in Neumann v. Borg-Warner Morse Tec LLC, No. 15-C-10507, 2016 WL 930662 (N.D. Ill. March 10, 2016), recently granted a motion to dismiss on the basis that a product manufacturer |
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As many trial attorneys will tell you, the most crucial phase in many trials is jury selection. While its significance is known, attorneys are often left with minimal information gathered through juror questionnaires or voir dire from which they are forced to analyze cause challenges and make strike decisions. However, the growth of social media over the past decade has enabled lawyers to gather additional information about the interests, activities and proclivities of veniremen that allows counsel to make more informed decisions during the jury selection process.
According to Pew Research Center, 74% of online adults use social media sites. The numbers are consistent across gender, education and income levels. A trial attorney, therefore, has the ability to discover information about three out of every four prospective jurors on the Internet.
| April 1, 2016 |
| New Developments |
| Second Circuit Upholds Dismissal of Asbestos Defendant for Lack of Personal Jurisdiction By David Dean In February 2016, the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit upheld dismissal of an out-of-state corporate defendant for lack of personal jurisdiction in an asbestos case, Brown v. Lockheed Martin Corp., No. 14-4083 |
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| March 1, 2016 |
| New Developments |
| Jury Awards $72 Million in Talc-related Cancer Case in St. Louis By Jen Dlugosz Last week, a St. Louis jury awarded $72 million to the family of a victim who alleged that her ovarian cancer was caused by personal use talcum powder. The plaintiff alleged that the decedent used Johnson |
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