Texas Approves Statewide Consolidation of Asbestos Claims

AUSTIN, Texas - A judicial panel in Texas has granted a motion filed by defendant Union Carbide Corp. to transfer asbestos claims filed in the state after Sept. 1, 2003, to a single district court judge. Union Carbide v. Adams, et al., No. 03-0895 (JPML).

In an order entered Dec. 30, the Multidistrict Litigation Panel sitting in Austin ruled 3-2 in favor of a statewide consolidation of asbestos cases under Rule 13.

'Having considered the arguments, the evidence, and the authorities presented, a majority of the panel finds that the ... cases involve one or more common questions of fact, …