Amici Challenge Ill. Case Law Preventing Evidence of Other Exposures

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - Several groups have filed amici curiae briefs in support of a manufacturer's petition to reverse an Illinois appellate court's decision upholding Illinois case law that precludes evidence of asbestos exposure from sources not involved in the case. Nolan v. Weil-McLain, No. 103137 (Ill. Sup. Ct.).

In briefs filed Dec. 29 and Jan. 2 in the Illinois Supreme Court, the amici argue that the danger of misleading or confusing a properly-instructed jury in asbestos cases arises only from excluding evidence of other exposures, not from admitting such evidence. Illinois' Lipke rule prevents juries from hearing evidence about plaintiffs' …