Firm Scores Huge Victory in Mesothelioma Asbestos Lawsuit;
Stops Trial and Case Dismissed
CHICAGO – (February 15, 2013) – Sanchez Daniels & Hoffman LLP, one of the nation’s leading civil defense practice law firms, announced today it won a forum non conveniens motion to dismiss on behalf of its client, Ford Motor Company, which was defending itself against a mesothelioma asbestos lawsuit. The motion, which was argued on the eve of the trial, contended that Cook County, Ill., where the lawsuit was filed, was not the proper venue for the trial, resulting in the dismissal of the case and its removal from the Cook County, Illinois docket.
The 80 year-old plaintiff in the case, Louis D’Alotto, brought a lawsuit against Ford Motor Company, alleging his work as an auto mechanic exposed him to asbestos, leading to a mesothelioma (cancer) diagnosis. The plaintiff was born in Richmond County, New York and worked his entire adult life in and around New York City and later retired to the Florida area, where he received all his medical care. Manny Sanchez, managing partner for Sanchez Daniels & Hoffman and lead defense attorney for Ford, argued that filing a suit in Cook County, where the plaintiff never lived, worked nor allegedly was exposed to asbestos, was not proper and that a trial should take place in a more convenient venue. Judge Thomas Hogan agreed and on the last court date before the trial was to begin on February 13, 2013, ruled in favor of Ford Motor Company and dismissed the case.
Craig Ziolkowski, co-counsel for Ford Motor Company, called the motion a major triumph.“There was never any reason for this case to be in Cook County,” Ziolkowski said. “This ruling sets a precedent for other cases and shows that in the end, justice will always prevail.”
Additional co-counsel on the case included Sanchez Daniels & Hoffman attorneys, Renee Ziolkowski and John Liston.
