By AP/KWMU
Edwardsville, Ill. – The number of asbestos lawsuits filed in Madison County continues to decline.
The business group Illinois Civil Justice League reports there have been 287 asbestos-related lawsuits filed in the county so far this year, down from 375 filed in 2005 and 477 filed in 2004. There were 953 cases filed in 2003.
League president Ed Murnane says Madison County judges have been making it harder for plaintiffs to file asbestos cases in the County.
St. Louis plaintiff attorney Bob Ramsey says the decline might be because there is decreased mining of asbestos.
Madison County began seeing a significant number of asbestos lawsuits in the late 1980s, when local attorneys began contacting labor unions about asbestos exposure. The practice gave the county a reputation for being a magnet for lawsuits.