Defendants Move to Stay Proceedings in New York City Asbestos Litigation Docket, Cite ‘Systemic Favoritism’ to Plaintiffs
NEW YORK –– Defendants involved in the coordinated asbestos docket in New York City have moved to stay all cases, save for plaintiffs’ depositions and pre-deposition discovery in pending and future in extremis cases, so that the court and parties can develop a “new, modernized Case Management Order that is fair and balanced and continues to protect all parties’ rights.”
In the March 31 motion filed with the New York County Supreme Court, the defendants argued that the current CMO, implemented nearly 30 years ago, no longer protects the rights and remedies afforded to the defendants.
“The time has come to right this imbalance,” the defendants maintained.
“Twenty-seven years later … a combination of factors –– dramatic changes to the litigation over nearly three decades, recent interpretation of the CMO, implementation of the CMO’s coordinating procedures, and certain systemic favoritism –– have together resulted in a far more significant departure from the rights and remedies afforded to Defendants under the CPLR than the original defendants bargained for or reasonably could have anticipated.”
The defendants maintained in the motion that a 60-day stay would not prejudice the parties.
A nearly 300-page exhibit was filed with the motion, which is a letter from the defendants to the new presiding judge of the NYCAL docket detailing a number of instances in which they contend they were prejudiced. The defendants specifically took issue with the consolidation of cases for trial and, further, for the court’s decision not to require the plaintiffs to submit bankruptcy trust claim forms prior to trial.
The defendants are represented by E. Leo Milonas and David G. Keykoy of Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP in New York; Timothy M. McCann and Christopher P. Browne of The Law Offices of David M. Santoro in New York; Genevieve MacSteel of McGuireWoods LLP in New York; Alfred Sargente of Hawkins Parnell & Young in New York; Jonathan Kromberg of Darger Errante Yavitz & Blau LLP in New York; Diane Pompei of Lynch Daskal Emery LLP in New York; John J. Fanning of Cullen & Dykman in New York; Donald R. Pugliese of McDermott Will & Emery in New York; Michael A. Tanenbaum of Sedgwick LLP in Newark, N.J.; Suzanne M. Halbardier of Barry, McTiernan & Moore in New York; John C. McGuire of McElroy Deutsch, Mulvaney & Carpenter LLP in New York; Diane H. Miller of Littleton Joyce Ughetta Park & Kelly LLP in Purchase, N.Y.; Thomas M. Canevari of Freehill Hogan & Mahar in New York; Erik C. DiMarco of Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker LLP in New York; Joseph Koczko and Ruthe Nepf of Thompson Hine in New York; Kerryann M. Cook of McGivney & Kluger in New York; Lisa M. Pascarella of Pascarella Divita in Holmdel, N.J.; Lee Henig-Elona of Gordon & Rees in Florham Park, N.J.; Christopher W. Healy, Adam Masin, Spencer D. Wein and Joseph Koczko of Reed Smith in New York; Anthony J. Marino of Garrity, Graham, Murphy, Garofalo & Flinn in East Hanover, N.J., and New York; James M. Skelly of Marks, O’Neill, O’Brien, Doherty & Kelly in New York; Ellen Zweig of Delaney McBride in New York; David Katzensten of Eckert Seamans Cherin & MEllott of Newark, N.J; Marissa C. Nardi of Winston & Strawn in New York; Jason W. Rubin of Goldberg Miller & Rubin, P.C.; in Philadelphia; Timothy J. McHugh of Lavin, O’Neil, Cedrone & Disipio in New York; Lisa Massimi of Caruso Smith Picini in Fairfield, N.J. Robert B. Marcus of Law Offices of Robert B. Marcus, P.C., in White Plains, N.Y.; Colleen M. Cronin of Marshall, Dennehey, Warner, Coleman & Goggin in Melville, N.Y.; William F. Mueller of Clemente Mueller in Cedar Knolls, N.J.; Robert C. Malaby and Maryellen Connor of Malaby & Bradley in New York; Gary T. Healy of McMahon, Martine & Gallagher in Brooklyn, N.Y.; Jason Sultzer and Joseph Lipari of The Sultzer Law Group, P.C., in New York; Stephen A. Manuele of Feldman Kieffer in Buffalo, N.Y.; Shehzad Hasan, Sandra E. Cavazos and Stephen A. Fennell of Steptoe & Johnson in New York; Jason Harness of Kasowitz, Benson, Torres & Friedman LLP in New York; Richard P. O’Leary of Troutman Sanders in New York; Nancy L. Pennie of Aaronson Rappaport Feinstein & Deutsch in New York; Steven A. Weiner, Joshua S. Lichtenstein and Casey Chamra of O’Toole Fernandez Weiner Van Lieu in Verona, N.J.; Bradley R. Lawrence of Kent & McBride in New York; Lauren Smith, John Falcone and Richard C. Milazzo of Mendes & Mount in New York; Nicole A. Spence of Renzulli Law Firm in White Plains, N.Y.; Kenneth J. Kelly of Epstein Becker & Green in New York; Jason Riemer of Hoagland, Longo, Moran, Dunst & Doukas in New Brunswick, N.J.; Thomas J. Maimone of Maimone & Associates in Port Washington, N.Y; and Philip J. O’Rourke of Lewis, Brisbois, Bisgaard & Smith in New York.
In re: New York City Asbestos Litigation, NYCAL No. 40000/1988 (N.Y. Sup. Ct., New York Cty.).
Documents are Available Call (800) 496-4319 or Search www.harrismartin.com Motion Ref# ASB-1504-02 Exhibit Ref# ASB-1504-03
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