Welding Fume Litigation Outlook favors manufacturers.
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Press Release Summary:
Welding fume litigation has plagued the welding industry for nearly a decade, but rumors suggest that it could come to an end. GAWDA's Joint Defense Fund Coordinating Counsel for Welding Fume Litigation, Michael Degan, provides latest outlook in "Welding Fume Litigation Out With A Whimper?" which appears in Welding and Gases Today. According to Degan, rumors suggest that the steering committee for plaintiffs has been negotiating proposal to terminate all currently pending welding fume cases.
Original Press Release:
Welding Fume Litigation Outlook Favors Manufacturers
GAWDA JDF Coordinating Counsel reports that welding fume lawsuits may come to an end.
Dewitt, NY - Welding fume litigation has plagued the welding industry for nearly a decade. However, recent rumors suggest that welding fume litigation could come to an end for good. GAWDA's Joint Defense Fund Coordinating Counsel for Welding Fume Litigation Michael Degan provides the latest outlook in "Welding Fume Litigation Out With A Whimper?" The article appears in Welding & Gases Today, the leading magazine for the gases and welding equipment industry.
After Larry Elam won a million-dollar welding fume verdict in 2003, plaintiff lawyers loudly proclaimed that welding fume litigation was going to be the "next asbestos." Tens of thousands of cases were filed in the two years following Elam, and some people predicted that the welding industry would collapse under the onslaught of litigation.
"Rather than buying peace through settlement negotiations, the industry stood its ground," says Degan. "Jury after jury rejected claims that exposure to fumes emitted during mild steel welding caused injury."
In 2011, for the first time since the Elam verdict, not a single welding fume case went to trial. Furthermore, hundreds of cases were voluntarily dismissed last year.
Degan reports that rumors have been floating that the steering committee for plaintiffs has been negotiating a proposal to terminate all currently pending welding fume cases. "Such an agreement, if accepted by sufficient numbers of plaintiffs, would effectively end welding fume litigation as a mass tort," he says.
To learn about the rumored end to welding fume lawsuits, read "Welding Fume Litigation Out With A Whimper?" (http://www.weldingandgasestoday.org/index.php/2012/03/welding-fume-litigation-out-with-a-whimper/) at Welding & Gases Today Online. For more information, contact Carole Jesiolowski, senior editor at Welding & Gases Today at carole@weldingandgasestoday.org or 315-445-2347.
About GAWDA
Founded in 1945, the Gases and Welding Distributors Association (GAWDA) is the premier source for manufacturing knowledge, education and networking. Through its member journals (www.weldingandgasestoday.org), e-magazines, newsletters and industry wiki (www.gawdawiki.org), GAWDA connects suppliers of gases and manufacturers of related equipment as well as manufacturers of welding equipment and distribution leaders, for the purpose of safely delivering optimal solutions to the users of those products. GAWDA publications are the industry's voice for all matters related to the latest technology and the most up-to-date processes spanning welding equipment and products and services related to industrial, medical, specialty and cryogenic gases. A 501(c)3 organization, GAWDA members are located throughout North America.
