Behrens Quoted on Asbestos Trust Claims in West Virginia Record
Shook, Hardy & Bacon Washington D.C. Partner Mark Behrens was quoted in a March 26 article titled “Attorneys: Asbestos trust claims bill good for W.Va.” for The West Virginia Record.
The Asbestos Bankruptcy Trust Claims Transparency Act will coordinate asbestos claims that are filed both in litigation and trusts established in asbestos-related bankruptcy proceedings. It also requires disclosure of existing and potential asbestos bankruptcy trust claims and establishes medical criteria procedures and statute of limitations standards. The Asbestos Bankruptcy Trust Claims Transparency Act becomes law June 9.
Behrens, who co-chairs Shook’s Public Policy Group, talks about how the changes will positively affect the state’s economy, saying, “The asbestos legislation and other legal reforms enacted this year by the Legislature and signed by the governor will help attract jobs into West Virginia and make West Virginia businesses more competitive.”
Talking more about the benefits of the new Act, Behrens says, “The legislation also will promote honesty in litigation by providing a mechanism to catch unscrupulous trial lawyers who may otherwise try to tell one story about the plaintiff’s exposures to asbestos to a jury and a different story to asbestos trusts.”
The Asbestos Bankruptcy Trust Claims Transparency Act will coordinate asbestos claims that are filed both in litigation and trusts established in asbestos-related bankruptcy proceedings. It also requires disclosure of existing and potential asbestos bankruptcy trust claims and establishes medical criteria procedures and statute of limitations standards. The Asbestos Bankruptcy Trust Claims Transparency Act becomes law June 9.
Behrens, who co-chairs Shook’s Public Policy Group, talks about how the changes will positively affect the state’s economy, saying, “The asbestos legislation and other legal reforms enacted this year by the Legislature and signed by the governor will help attract jobs into West Virginia and make West Virginia businesses more competitive.”
Talking more about the benefits of the new Act, Behrens says, “The legislation also will promote honesty in litigation by providing a mechanism to catch unscrupulous trial lawyers who may otherwise try to tell one story about the plaintiff’s exposures to asbestos to a jury and a different story to asbestos trusts.”
