Press Release

Washington, DC—The following is a statement from American Association for Justice (AAJ) CEO Linda Lipsen in response to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee holding a hearing today to consider asbestos trusts and the Furthering Asbestos Claim Transparency Act (S. 357):

“Corporations that knowingly exposed people to deadly asbestos have been trying for years to get themselves off the hook. This bill would delay and deny compensation to Americans suffering from asbestos disease and jettison their privacy.

It’s absurd that companies that poisoned people are trying to set the agenda here. Congress should listen to the people who are actually suffering the effects of asbestos and work to reduce the public’s exposure, not draw up giveaways to corporations.”

Background on S. 357

The Furthering Asbestos Claim Transparency (FACT) Act would forfeit the privacy of individuals suffering from asbestos disease and their families. The bill would put the private information of asbestos victims – including their names and asbestos exposure histories – into a publicly accessible database, making them vulnerable to identity theft and online predators. The bill re-victimizes families impacted by asbestos disease while doing nothing to protect Americans from future asbestos exposures.