HarrisMartin Interview with David Austern

photo-2If it could be said that the dueling factions of asbestos litigation are at war, some might consider David Austern Switzerland.

At least he might.

Since 1987, Austern has been at the helm of the Johns-Manville Personal Injury Trust. It was recently announced that the Trust, which to date has paid more than $3 billion to parties injured by asbestos, has surpassed those created for the Dalkon Shield and Agent Orange personal injury claimants, making it the largest toxic tort trust of any kind. Manville's reach is so extensive that it now even employs a "profit-making" arm, the Virginia-based …