From the Madison County Record
With nearly six months down and six to go, it appears that Madison County is on track to at least match last year’s record-breaking number of asbestos filings.
Figures provided by Circuit Clerk Mark Von Nida show that 793 asbestos suits had been filed as of earlier this week. If the next six months bring the same number of suits, the total for 2013 would beat last year’s total of 1,563 by about two dozen.
The number of asbestos filings in Madison County has been at a relatively steady rise since 2006, with the exception of a slight dip in 2010.
Records show that 325 asbestos suits were filed in 2006, a substantial decrease from the 953 asbestos filings in 2003. That number jumped to 455 in 2007, 639 in 2008, 814 in 2009, 752 in 2010 and 953 in 2011.
Not only did 2012 mark a record-breaking year for asbestos filings in Madison County, but it also included a change to the docket and mirrored a national trend in asbestos litigation.
In March 2012, Associate Judge Clarence Harrison, who presides over the asbestos docket, eliminated the long-time practice of setting asbestos trial in advance.
Some defense attorneys expressed concerns that the change would open up the door to more filings, but Harrison, as well as other attorneys, said it was a procedural switch that would simply make scheduling dockets more consistent in size and help make things work more smoothly.