Two Judges Deny Motions for Regional Consolidation of Asbestos Claims

Judges overseeing two regions in Texas where the majority of state court asbestos claims are pending have refused Union Carbide Corp.'s attempt to have the cases consolidated and assigned to a single pre-trial judge. In Re: Asbestos Litigation, (Texas Dist. Ct., 1st and 2nd Admin. Dist.).

In separate, one-page orders entered last month, Judges Olen Underwood and John Ovard determined that the asbestos defendant's motions to consolidate the cases under Rule 11 of the state's Rules of Judicial Administration should be denied.

Granting the motions would have provided a mechanism for transferring all pending asbestos cases filed before Sept. 1, …