Toxic Torts & Asbestos
Heyl Royster law firm creates effective defense strategies to assist our clients in navigating through mass tort litigation.
Experienced in toxic torts & asbestos litigation cases since the earliest civil cases, the legal defense firm of Heyl Royster has been designing tailored legal solutions for decades. Our legal team is composed of credentialed civil litigation attorneys who bring unparalleled skill and insight. Heyl Royster’s defense attorneys have won numerous verdicts and successfully appealed unfavorable rulings in a variety of civil suits. Attorneys on our tort defense team have been at the vanguard of movements founded in forum non-conveniens, and their approach set trends that have been emulated in matters small and large.
The toxic tort litigation team at Heyl Royster has instituted creative defense plans enabling our clients to achieve desired results and effectively navigate mass litigation that can threaten a company's existence. We partner with our clients at each step and eschew a one-size-fits-all approach to the defense of toxic tort cases. Whether serving as local trial counsel or forging plans across a national spectrum of magnet jurisdictions, Heyl Royster’s tort attorneys bring the right tools for the job.
TOXIC TORTS & ASBESTOS SERVICES
- Asbestos-related diseases and injuries such as Mesothelioma
- Benzene
- Diacetyl, acetyl propionyl, diketones, and “popcorn lung”
- Environmental contamination/groundwater contamination
- Glyphosate (Round Up)
- Manganese and welding rods
- Paraquat
- Polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS)
- Silica
- Talc – industrial and cosmetic
- Vermiculite
- Vinyl chloride
WHEN EXPERIENCE MATTERS
The attorneys at Heyl Royster provide world-class and cost-effective legal services and legal advice for clients involved in matters of toxic tort and asbestos. With a proven success record and experience in all aspects of toxic tort and asbestos claims since the earliest civil lawsuits, our clients can rest assured that their cases will be given the proper and thorough legal representation that they deserve.
Heyl Royster Is Ready To Defend Your Toxic Torts & Asbestos Needs
Contact One Of Our Skilled Attorneys Today!
Attorneys
Results
Numerous asbestos trials began and resolved via settlement or dismissal during the course of trial proceedings.
Laurel Hiatt v. Higbee, Inc., et al., Circuit Court, Madison County, Illinois, Case No. 12-L-1553 – This was a personal injury action brought by a living plaintiff alleging asbestos-related mesothelioma. The client objected to jurisdiction in Illinois, asserting it did not "do business" in Illinois as contemplated by the Long-Arm statute. The issue before the court involved whether this manufacturing defendant, which had some sales in Illinois but no other Illinois contacts, could be subject to jurisdiction in Illinois for plaintiff's alleged asbestos-related injury, when the alleged injury occurred outside of Illinois. In calendar year 2012, the firm's client had sales of $260,000 (less than 2% of its total sales) in Illinois. In finding that there was no general jurisdiction over the defendant, the court noted that sales alone do not justify exercising personal jurisdiction over the out-of-state defendant. The court also commented that the client's sales in Illinois were insignificant vis-à-vis their relation to the percentage that the Illinois' population represents to the rest of the country. Upon the Court's ruling, plaintiff's counsel agreed to voluntarily dismiss the client from 30 additional cases. This result effectively removed the client from asbestos litigation in Madison County, IL.
Costa v. A. P. Green Industries, Inc., Circuit Court, Peoria County, Illinois – Defense verdict after 7-week trial alleging wrongful death due to asbestos exposure
Johnson v. A. P. Green Industries, Inc., Circuit Court, Peoria County, Illinois– Defense verdict after 5-week trial alleging wrongful death due to asbestos exposure
Willis, et al. v. 84 Lumber Co., et al., Circuit Court, Sangamon County, Case No. 07-L-0327 – Defense verdict for CertainTeed Corporation in a living mesothelioma claim.
News
- Illinois Supreme Court to Review Workers’ Compensation Exclusivity in Asbestos Cases
- Heyl Royster Team Prevails Again in St. Louis County
- Supreme Court Issues Its Decision, Reversing the Pennsylvania Supreme Court and Finding that the Pennsylvania Law that Requires Out Out-Of-State Corporations to Register to Conduct Business There
- On May 19, 2023, the Illinois senate passed SB 1748, also known as the “speedy trial bill.”
- New Law Would Permit Punitive Damages in Wrongful Death Cases
- Heyl Royster Transitions Toxic Asbestos Practice Leadership to Meet the Future