Washington, DC, January 26, 2006--The National Legal and Policy Center (NLPC) today sent an open letter to the United States Senate condemning an unnamed Democratic Party aide for comments in yesterday's Roll Call article ("Alito Heads to the Floor, but Asbestos Percolates," 1/24). The NLPC letter alleged that Democrats were planning to "demagogue" asbestos reform when the issue comes up for debate on February 6th, 2006.
"These victims have waited years for compensation in courts log-jammed with asbestos cases, many of which are mostly benefiting trial lawyers whose fees and other transaction costs run as high as 60 percent of judgments," said Ken Boehm, chairman of NLPC, in the letter. "Meanwhile, the sheer number of cases generated by these over-eager lawyers makes victims wait. While thousands of companies are dragged into the cases, some with tenuous ties at best, the cost of fighting in court has driven many to bankruptcy."
The NLPC calls on members of the U.S. Senate--and Senator Reid, specifically--to stop politicizing an issue of such importance, and to address S. 852, the Fairness in Asbestos Injury Resolution (FAIR) Act with a mind to their constituents.
NLPC promotes a single standard of ethics in public life through research, education and legal action.
