Ohio Lawmakers Pass First of Its Kind Asbestos Transparency Legislation

As noted in the soon-to-be-released Judicial Hellholes 2012/2013 report, Ohio lawmakers have passed a first of its kind tort reform bill that aims to prevent asbestos plaintiffs from “double dipping” – filing claims with asbestos bankruptcy trust funds while also pursuing separate lawsuits.  As discussed by The Wall Street Journal, the “double dipping” scam is due to the lack of transparency in the trust system, and a failure of communication between courts and the trust.  H.B. 380 will help end this racket by requiring asbestos plaintiffs to file any trust claims before proceeding to trial, and they must identify to the courts any claims to trusts they have made.  Governor John Kasich is expected to sign the bill into law in the coming days.