Ohio News

Last week we described a multi-pronged attack by a gaggle of banks and the Mortgage Electronic Registry System on a proposed class action brought by an Ohio county. The Geauga County prosecutor, represented by Bernstein Liebhard, accused MERS and the banks of improperly recording thousands of loans in their zeal to fuel the mortgage securitization boom, bilking the counties out of fees in the process. The defendants struck back with motions to block class certification and to dismiss the case, arguing that they hadn't broken any laws and that the prosecutor had no standing to represent other counties, especially after bringing in outside counsel.

Tort reform signed into law in Ohio nine years ago has significantly reduced medical-malpractice suits and associated costs. This was the hoped-for result when Gov. Bob Taft signed Senate Bill 281; the law capped “pain and suffering” damages at $500,000 per occurrence.

A bill before the Ohio Senate would provide an unwarranted safety net for asbestos makers that have not already sought federal bankruptcy protection. The measure would create new bureaucratic obstacles to asbestos litigation in Ohio courts. It isn't needed.

Eight years ago, Ohio lawmakers raised the bar to dramatically reduce the number of people who can sue manufacturers and other businesses that exposed them to cancer-causing asbestos.

The Ohio Senate heard testimony Wednesday about a bill passed by their colleagues in the House which concerns full disclosure by plaintiffs in asbestos litigation.

A federal judge on Friday approved a $725 million settlement of a securities class action lawsuit that the state of Ohio brought against American International Group Inc.

A bill that would require plaintiffs in asbestos lawsuits to disclose the claims they've made for recovery to bankruptcy trusts passed the Ohio House of Representatives Wednesday.