The Senate Civil Law Committee heard Sen. Glick’s SB 236 on asbestos litigation. The bill requires certain disclosures regarding asbestos bankruptcy trust claims in civil asbestos actions, and provides medical criteria to set aside and preserve the claims of asbestos and silica claimants without physical impairment, and gives priority to asbestos and silica claimants with malignant conditions and impairing nonmalignant conditions. Sen. Glick explained that she had been working on amendments with interested parties but had not reached an agreed version.
A representative of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, with support of the Indiana Chamber, Indiana Manufacturers Institute, Insurance Institute of Indiana, and other organizations, explained how the bill would allow asbestos litigation juries to hear about all of plaintiffs’ alleged exposures including those made or to be made to asbestos bankruptcy trusts. Representatives of the Indiana Trial Lawyers Association spoke in opposition. An amendment was adopted by consent, but the bill failed by a vote of 3-4.
Read the bill at http://iga.in.gov/legislative/2017/bills/senate/236