Ill. federal judge calls asbestos plaintiff’s arguments ‘unconvincing’

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. (Legal Newsline) – An Illinois federal judge has denied a plaintiff’s motion to remand an asbestos lawsuit, finding that her arguments were “unconvincing.”

Judge Donald Wilkerson of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois delivered his decision on June 9 in favor of defendant Crane Co., a valve manufacturer. He said the plaintiff shifted the burden of proof by arguing the defendant failed to prove its products were aboard a U.S. Navy ship – leading to the question of why she named the company as a defendant in the first place.