Simmons
BENTON – Asbestos attorney John Simmons of Alton broke the ranks of Illinois asbestos lawyers by dropping out of a suit at U.S. district court and agreeing to file client questionnaires for a bankruptcy judge in North Carolina.
The Gori firm in Edwardsville, Maune Raichle in St. Louis, and Cooney and Conway in Chicago continue to resist questionnaires.
U.S. District Judge Staci Yandle plans a hearing for them on July 23.
First the firms must face bankruptcy judge Laura Beyer of Charlotte, who ordered them to show why she shouldn’t hold them in contempt.
She plans a hearing on July 22.