New evidence of the effectiveness of transparency in public affairs stemmed from a surprising source: a class action litigation on behalf of individuals who allegedly developed mesothelioma from asbestos exposure. From the number of companies that have closed as a result of case is the Chapter 11 bankruptcy lawsuit of Garlock Sealing Technologies. Numerous law firms filed claims against the company to compensate for the victims. Such firms have filed for claims amounting to millions of dollars.
On January 10th 2014, George Hodges, a U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge, set a ruling that revealed evidence which had been kept secret for years. Hodges was worried that victims told trust administrators that they’ve only filed a single claim in the Garlock litigation, when in fact, they’ve made multiple claims from several trusts on the client’s behalf. Through this approach, fraud payouts have been given to both attorneys and victims.
Senator Jeff Flake guarantees that further transparency in the asbestos bankruptcy lawsuit is on its way. He recently brought in the Furthering Asbestos Claim Transparency Act of 2014. The measure enables complete revelation of names and exposure history of every claimant. The measure exempts medical records and full social security details of claimants.
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