May 7, 2006

The lawyers for the estate of Harry Kananian have filed multiple asbestos complaints. Defendants noticed that the complaints contradicted each other, and "new evidence" always seemed to lead away from defendants that Kananian had already settled with. Cuyahoga County Judge Harry A. Hanna will permit discovery to be taken of two plaintiffs' law firms, Early Ludwick and Brayton Purcell, to get to the bottom of this, though one suspects such double-dipping is not uncommon. (Peter Geier, "Allegations of Conflicting Claims in Tobacco Case", National Law Journal, May 8).