Eagle-Picher Asbestos Suits Consolidated: U.S. District Judge...
From Times Staff and Wire Reports
Eagle-Picher Asbestos Suits Consolidated: U.S. District Judge Jack B. Weinstein said he will create a class action consolidating 65,000 asbestos injury claims against Eagle-Picher Industries Inc. Attorneys for the victims said they would fight Weinstein’s attempts to consolidate the cases, saying the company’s $625-million long-term settlement plan is not enough. Weinstein faces an additional roadblock in the form of a petition filed Monday in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Cincinnati seeking to force the Cincinnati-based industrial products manufacturer involuntarily into bankruptcy proceedings. Under federal law, the bankruptcy petition puts all other court action on hold.
