S.C. Judge Reverses Earlier Position on Consolidation of Asbestos Cases for Trial, Denies Plaintiffs’ Motion

CHARLESTON, S.C. –– The judge overseeing the asbestos docket in South Carolina has reversed her earlier inclination to consolidate the May and September blocks of cases into one trial, saying that while she believes consolidation may be appropriate, the facts of the cases need more development before such a ruling can be issued.

In a May 15 order, Judge Jean Hoefer Toal of the Southern Carolina Court of Common Pleas for the Fifth Judicial Circuit stated that as courts across the country are shut down to jury trials, “the judicial system must adapt.”

“Consolidation may be a method to …