The Hellholes of Madison County

Madison County, Illinois has been designated the nation's worst "judicial hellhole" by the American Tort Reform Association. Last week a plaintiff's firm from Texas filed 153 asbestosis and silicosis suits in Madison County. Each asbestos lawsuit names 87 businesses as defendants while each silicosis lawsuit names 49 businesses as defendants.

Madison County is already well known for having one of the largest asbestos dockets in the nation. Some are speculating that this recent wave of filings in Madison County is due in part to the increased scrutiny of asbestosis and silicosis cases in Texas which makes that location a less desirable filing option for plaintiff's firms.

Also of interest is that one third of the plaintiffs who filed silicosis claims in Madison County also filed asbestosis claims. This brings up the question of the likelihood that a person can suffer from both diseases.