PVC pipe maker JM Eagle sues US asbestos law firm in racketeering case
By David Thomas
May 13 (Reuters) -Plastic pipe maker JM Eagle has sued a U.S. law firm that filed hundreds of asbestos personal injury cases against it, marking the latest counterstrike by a defendant against the asbestos plaintiffs bar.
JM Eagle's lawsuit, filed Friday in Chicago federal court under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, alleged that law firm Simmons Hanly Conroy suppressed evidence, used perjured or falsified testimony and statements, and committed fraud in the course of recovering billions of dollars from asbestos defendants in thousands of cases.
"These untrue statements have caused J-M Manufacturing to incur vast sums of litigation fees and expenses defending against claims brought by the firm," the lawsuit said. JM Eagle, which calls itself the world's largest plastic and PVC pipe manufacturer, was previously known as J-M Manufacturing.
Alton, Illinois-based Simmons Hanly Conroy, which specializes in asbestos-related mesothelioma claims, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Ashwin Ram, a partner at Steptoe who is representing JM Eagle, said in a statement his client has "taken the first step to hold Simmons Hanly accountable for the misconduct that it has uncovered."
Simmons Hanly has filed more than 430 cases against JM Eagle since 2001, according to the lawsuit. JM Eagle said it has settled more than 75 of the cases, but would have reduced the settlement amounts or not paid if it knew some of those lawsuits contained "falsehoods peddled by Simmons Hanly."
In what JM Eagle described as a "a quintessential RICO enterprise," Simmons Hanly allegedly orchestrated sham claims based on "often fabricated" evidence of asbestos injury from discontinued products, including cement pipe made by JM Eagle before a switch to plastic piping.
JM Eagle noted that it is not the first company to level fraud or racketeering claims against asbestos personal injury law firms, citing prior cases involving defendants CSX Transportation, Garlock Sealing Technologies and John Crane Inc.
Gasket maker Garlock, for example, sued four law firms in 2014, alleging that plaintiffs' lawyers concealed evidence and induced clients to commit perjury to drive up asbestos-related settlements and garner bigger fees. Garlock ultimately settled with those law firms.
JM Eagle is seeking an unspecified amount of damages. In addition to its federal racketeering claim, its lawsuit alleges unjust enrichment, fraud and civil conspiracy.
The case is J-M Manufacturing Co Inc v. Simmons Hanly Conroy LLP, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, No. 24-cv-03853.
For J-M Manufacturing: Ashwin Ram, John Byron, Andrew Adams of Steptoe; and Frank Fletcher of J-M Manufacturing
For Simmons Hanly Conroy: Not yet available
Reporting by David Thomas
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Javobgarlikdan voz kechish: XM Group korxonalari har biri faqat ijro xizmatlarini koʻrsatadi va onlayn savdo platformamizdan foydalanish huquqini beradi, bu odamga veb-saytda yoki veb-sayt orqali mavjud boʻlgan kontentni koʻrish va/yoki undan foydalanishga ruxsat beradi hamda uni oʻzgartirishga moʻljallanmagan va uni oʻzgartirmaydi yoki kengaytirmaydi. Bunday kirish va foydalanish huquqi doimo quyidagilarga boʻysunadi: (i) Shartlar va qoidalar; (ii) Risklar haqida ogohlantirish; va (iii) Javobgarlikni toʻliq rad etish. Shuning uchun bunday kontent umumiy maʼlumot sifatida taqdim etiladi. Xususan, shuni esda tutingki, bizning onlayn savdo platformamiz mazmuni moliyaviy bozorlarda biror bitimni amalga oshirishga oid maslahat yoki taklif emas. Har qanday moliyaviy bozorda savdo qilish sizning kapitalingiz uchun jiddiy risk darajasini oʻz ichiga oladi.
Onlayn savdo platformamizda chop etilgan barcha materiallar faqat taʼlim/axborot maqsadlari uchun moʻljallangan va unda moliyaviy, investitsiya soligʻi yoki savdo maslahatlari va tavsiyalar; yoki bizning savdo narxlarimizning qaydlari; yoki har qanday moliyaviy vositalar bilan bitim tuzish maslahati yoki taklifi; yoki sizga kerak boʻlmagan moliyaviy reklama aksiyalari hisoblanmaydi
Har qanday uchinchi tomon kontenti, shuningdek XM tomonidan tayyorlangan kontent, masalan: fikrlar, yangiliklar, tadqiqotlar, tahlillar, narxlar va boshqa maʼlumotlar yoki bu veb-saytda joylashgan uchinchi tomon saytlariga havolalar umumiy bozor sharhi sifatida "boricha" taqdim etiladi va investitsiya maslahatini tashkil etmaydi. Har qanday kontent investitsiya tadqiqoti sifatida talqin qilinsa, siz bunday kontentni investitsiya tadqiqotlarining mustaqilligini ragʻbatlantirish uchun moʻljallangan qonun talablariga muvofiq moʻljallanmagan va tayyorlanmaganligini eʼtiborga olishingiz va qabul qilishingiz kerak, shuning uchun unga tegishli qonunlar va qoidalarga muvofiq marketing kommunikatsiyasi sifatida qaraladi. Mustaqil boʻlmagan investitsiya tadqiqoti va yuqoridagi maʼlumotlarga oid risk haqida ogohlantirishimizni oʻqib chiqqaningizga va tushunganingizga ishonch hosil qiling, unga bu yerdan kirish mumkin.
