Court Rejects Garlock Bid to Access Bankruptcy Filings to Support RICO Allegations

WILMINGTON, Del. - An asbestos bankruptcy judge has denied Garlock access to information in several pending and closed Chapter 11 cases as part of the defendant's bid to pursue racketeering claims against asbestos claimants and their attorneys. In Re: ACandS, Inc., et al., No. 02-12687 (D. Del. Bankr.).

Judge Judith K. Fitzgerald of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Delaware ruled Oct. 7 that Garlock lacks standing to intervene in the proceedings of other asbestos defendants or to reopen their bankruptcy cases, despite allegations by Garlock that it was historically defrauded by claimants and their counsel in an elaborate scheme to …