Arizona bill would make it harder to file asbestos lawsuits

Feb 11, 2015, 10:41am MST Updated: Feb 11, 2015, 1:43pm MST S Enlarge Photo bermau

Workers removing materials containing some asbestos

Mike SunnucksSenior Reporter- Phoenix Business JournalEmail | Twitter | Facebook

A bill at the Arizona Legislature would make it harder to file asbestos lawsuits.

House Bill 2603 requires plaintiffs filing and courts hearing asbestos-related claims to seek out and find various industry trusts set up to deal with such lawsuits.

Critics, such as Phoenix attorney Steve Leshner, say that will just delay lawsuits brought by plaintiffs suffering from the adverse side effects of being exposed to asbestos.

“It just tends to delay things,” Leshner said. He said the bill has been tried but not approved in other states, including Texas.Asbestos is a natural mineral that was long used in various building materials. It causes mesothelioma cancer and is banned in 50 countries, according to the Washington-based Mesothelioma Center.

Leshner said asbestos trusts were set up previously by companies being sued to handle lawsuits. But many of those now don’t have any money or are dormant and plaintiffs often don’t name them in lawsuits. The Arizona bill would change that dynamic.

It would also allow for more delays for discovery in asbestos cases.

“It changes the rules for asbestos cases,” Leshner said.

The main sponsor of the bill, Arizona Rep. Sonny Borrelli, R-Lake Havasu City, did not respond to requests for comment.