Asbestos News

When Bill McQueen sought medical treatment for a dull chest pain he couldn't seem to shake, he hoped it was just an old rib fracture flaring. The actual diagnosis was devastating: mesothelioma, an incurable and fatal cancer that was encasing his left lung.

A federal appeals court recently sided with the trial judge overseeing the multidistrict asbestos litigation playing out at U.S. District Court in Philadelphia, determining that the jurist properly dismissed a dozen cases from the MDL for failure to comply with an earlier court order.

PPG Industries Inc. said Tuesday a federal bankruptcy court has approved a reorganization plan for its joint venture with Corning Inc. that would resolve asbestos injury claims. PPG would give up its stake in Pittsburgh Corning and pay $825 million over 10 years.

The bankrupt units of specialty chemicals maker RPM International Inc may have to set aside twice as much money for asbestos-related liabilities as the company estimated, after a bankruptcy judge rejected what she called a novel theory from the debtor.

As many as 80,000 inactive cases could be dismissed from the dockets of asbestos and silica multidistrict litigation courts, if Gov. Rick Perry signs a bill that both chambers of the Texas Legislature passed unanimously.

The Assembly also passed a measure that would slow asbestos-exposure lawsuits until plaintiffs reveal how many businesses their attorneys plan to go after.