There is often a criticism of the way asbestos cases are heard in that such matters are allegedly tried in an assembly line fashion at the courts. Currently, in Madison County in southwest Illinois, there are 506 mesothelioma cases filed in 2010 while there were only 137 cases of mesothelioma diagnosed in the entire state in 2007.

Part of the reason that many of the cases are filed in one court (as in most matters concerning venue) is the convenience of the parties. A former judge that has heard a large number of such cases felt that it made more sense for a corporation to defend the cases in one single venue than to be forced to defend the cases in a variety of venues across the country.

Some corporations have complained about the setup of the system by stating that such county courts do not have the capacity to try such a large number of cases. These corporations also allege that such a system of hearing cases did not provide the companies with an adequate amount of time to prepare a defense as these types of cases were supposedly hurried along.

From the perspective of an injured party it's difficult to feel too sorry for the corporations that are being sued. Mesothelioma is a deadly form of cancer that can come about with minimum exposure to asbestos. The plaintiffs that have filed the claims are dying and are looking for a means to provide for their families when they are gone.

The squabbling will likely continue as the corporations do not always concede that some of the verdicts have gone their way. It's no easy task for an attorney to bring an asbestos related injury case to court. Asbestos cases are complicated because causation must be shown that there was asbestos exposure, that the exposure caused an asbestos related illness, and that the corporation knew of the risks and still didn't take precautions from preventing the exposure from taking place.

However such cases are tried, those sickened by asbestos exposure deserve to be compensated for what has occurred.

Source: stltoday.com, "Donation controversy focuses attention on Madison County asbestos litigation," by Nicholas J.C. Pistor, Jan. 29, 2012