KCIC has published its "Annual Litigation: 2016 Year in Review" report — its latest full-year report on asbestos filings, which includes filing statistics by disease, jurisdiction and plaintiff firm. The report reflects three years of data that KCIC has received through Jan. 31, 2017. 

Findings were shared during the opening panel of Perrin Conferences’ “Cutting Edge Issues in Asbestos Litigation” conference on March 6. Highlights include:

• In 2016, the top 10 jurisdictions accounted for only 5.6% of the total jurisdictions receiving asbestos claims, but accounted for over 71.6% of all filings.

• Madison County, Ill., continues to be the jurisdiction of choice and the epicenter for the asbestos litigation, with 1,299 filings in 2016, a three-year high for the county.

• For mesothelioma claims only, the concentration among the top 10 jurisdictions in 2016 is even more pronounced – driven again mainly by the level of claims filed in Madison County, Ill.

• Lung cancer claims have become increasingly concentrated in Madison County, Ill., and St. Louis, Mo., over the last two years. In 2015, Madison County and St. Louis received 21% of all lung cancer filings, increasing to 33% in 2016.

• 2016 jurisdictional filling trends are heavily influenced by specific plaintiff firm filling activity. The top 10 filling plaintiff firms in 2016 account for just under 62% of all fillings — a slight increase over 2014 and 2015.

For media inquiries KCIC’s report, please contact Megan Shockley: shockleym@kcic.com.