ASBESTOS LAW

San Francisco, California, Superior Court will create a new department to handle its crowded court docket of asbestos-injury law cases

Occupational asbestos exposure is the leading cause of mesothelioma cancer in the United States. Industries that place workers most at risk for exposure include the: automobile, construction, electrical, power plant and shipyard industries.

October 27, 2009 - In an effort to tackle its asbestos caseload, San Francisco County Superior Court has proposed the creation of a single asbestos department where all discovery, law and motion and case management matters will be heard.

California: No. 1 state for asbestos deaths

California and Los Angeles have the highest rates of asbestos-related mortalities of any state or city in the nation, according to a study by the EWG Action Fund, a non-profit environmental research group based in Washington, D.C.

The areas around the San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego, urban centers are those that are most affected.

Asbestos law in California

Judge Harold Kahn has been tapped to oversee the new courthouse department, according to legal news source Law.com.

“The goal is to make sure that we don't have cases endlessly trailing for trial and that we attempt to have cases settle before they use up a jury panel,” said Presiding Judge James McBride.

Wasting jury panels on mounting asbestos-related cases is a concern for San Francisco. In 2008, asbestos cases consumed 45 percent of jurors summoned for civil trials, according to the court's latest biennial report.

The asbestos department would also be staffed by Commissioner Arlene Borick.

Having a judge and commissioner managing all the cases, McBride added, will mean the court will be more involved in bringing cases to trial readiness.

The court e-served 1,187 asbestos attorneys with the draft order last week, notifying them of a Nov. 17 hearing about it.

Some lawyers said it would be nice if the new system worked as well as Alameda's, but that that court doesn't carry as heavy an asbestos caseload as San Francisco's does.

Consult Weitz & Luxenberg on asbestos law

Weitz & Luxenberg has protected the legal rights of workers since 1986. And in that time the firm's mesothelioma lawyers have won several billion dollars in verdicts and settlements for clients injured by job-related asbestos exposure.

If you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma and seek a free case review, please notify us through the communication form on this page. We will pursue your claim with vigilance to help you pay for medical bills, lost wages, and suffering.

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