Constitutionality of Virginia Mass Asbestos Trial Now Before Supreme Court

WASHINGTON, D.C. - In a move similar to one made unsuccessfully by defendants in an ongoing West Virginia mass asbestos trial, defendants in Virginia have petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court in hopes that it will find that the consolidation of claims involving 1,300 plaintiffs there violates the 14th Amendment. Hopeman Brothers, Inc. v. Acker, et al., No. 02-520 (U.S. Sup. Ct.).

The Supreme Court has yet to rule on the writ of certiorari filed on behalf of defendants in the Virginia trial, which was expected to get underway Oct. 22. The case was allowed to go forward after the Virginia …