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Kaufman Fund pens letter calling for General Assembly’s opposition of asbestos bill

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Rep. Bruce DeGroot’s HB 1546 has been a topic of much contention in the Missouri House, and those in opposition to the bill have pushed back in many ways.

Opponents of the bill have spoken out against the bill, presented evidence and testimony in committee hearings, but now, one opponent of the bill has resorted to simply asking members of the General Assembly to oppose the bill.

In a letter sent to the Speaker of the House, Speaker Pro Tem Elijah Haahr, and House Minority Leader Gail McCann Beatty, the Kaufman Fund called on legislators to express their “sincerest opposition” to DeGroot’s bill related to asbestos damages.

In a committee hearing earlier in session, DeGroot said the bill was intended to prevent “double-dipping” by plaintiffs’ lawyers, who often file claims against both asbestos trusts, which cover insolvent companies, and solvent companies in the form of civil suits.

The letter, addressed to Speaker Todd Richardson, which is being called the “Asbestos Bankruptcy Transparency Act” says it would “shield corporations from being held accountable for deadly asbestos-related diseases like mesothelioma” and would play justice for victims.

Read the full letter below:

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Rep. DeGroot responded to the claims of the letter, saying the following:

“The claims contained in that correspondence from the Kaufman Fund are arguments against asbestos transparency bill that I’ve heard before. Specifically, they claim the bill would allow for delay, when, in fact, it doesn’t. We specifically added very rigorous time frames to the bill to prohibit such delay tactics.

He explained that the bill provides that ten days after an insurer raises the possibility of an undisclosed claim against a bankruptcy trust, the plaintiff and their attorney must respond within ten days. Ten days after that time period, the bill provides that the judge must rule on whether or not to stay the proceedings until the claim can be investigated more fully.

“This bill is designed to preserve trust assets for the veteran and their family who are standing at the back of the line and ensure that assets are still present when it is their turn to make a claim, rather than go to people who are clearly double-dipping and entitled to more than they receive.”

Asbestos cases, arbitration agreements lead to lively debate in Special Committee on Litigation Reform