3 Miss. Judges Order 13,000 Asbestos Plaintiffs to Show Proof of Residency

JACKSON, Miss. -- Three Mississippi Circuit Court judges have ordered thousands of asbestos plaintiffs to show they reside or were injured in the counties where their claims are filed or face dismissal.

Last week, judges in Jefferson, Holmes and Hinds County circuit courts granted several pending motions to sever and ordered the severed plaintiffs to produce proof of residency or site of injury by specific dates. Sources said that Judge Lamar Pickard of Jefferson County on Dec. 20 gave 8,000 plaintiffs 20 days to respond, Holmes County Judge Jannie Lewis on Dec. 23 gave 4,000 plaintiffs a 60-day deadline …