Weitz & Luxenberg is pleased to report we remain a top filing law firm of asbestos cases for the first half of 2023. KCIC, a product liability consulting firm, has published its annual Asbestos Year in Review, and W&L holds a strong national position of #2. These numbers are based on at least 90% of the nation’s asbestos filings so far. (1)
According to KCIC, W&L is holding fast to its ranking among the top three firms across the country in terms of number of asbestos exposure cases filed. (2)
Asbestos Filings Nationwide
As of July 31, the number of asbestos complaint filings for 2023 is up 2% compared to last year. In 2022, 1,922 complaints were filed. In 2023, 1,963 complaints have been filed so far. (3)
Nationally, the five top-filing authorities are: (4)
- Madison County, Illinois: 524.
- St. Clair, Illinois: 261.
- New York, New York: 181.
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: 102.
- St. Louis, Missouri: 84.
All of these jurisdictions, except for Philadelphia, showed an increase in filings. “The largest increase in filings has been in New York, where there has been a 31% rise … largely due to Weitz & Luxenberg increasing its filings in New York by 8%.” (5)
Top Plaintiff Asbestos Law Firm Filing Complaints
From mid-year 2022 through mid-year 2023, Weitz & Luxenberg ranks second nationally for top asbestos law firms. Our firm filed 198 complaints. Overall, most of the filings during this time period occurred in New York. (6)
National Mesothelioma Filings
Filings for mesothelioma cases decreased in 2020 and again in 2021. Then, in 2022, the number of mesothelioma complaints increased. For 2023, that trend continues. In fact, the number of mesothelioma filings is 8% higher than the number of filings last year at this time. (7)
For 2023, mesothelioma cases constitute roughly 54% of total filings compared to 2022’s 51%. (8)
Lung Cancer Filings Nationwide
Lung cancer filings are also up, in fact, 8% compared to the number of filings for 2022. Currently, lung cancer filings constitute 37% of all 2023 filings so far, as compared to last year. (9)
In 2022, 678 lung cancer complaints were filed. In 2023, that number grew to 734. (10)
Asbestos Talc Filings Nationwide
So far, “2023 is the second year in a row with a considerable increase in talc filings at the mid-year point.” From 2022 to 2023, there has been a 21% increase. The largest increase in filings is for Madison County, Illinois (35%), and New York, New York (63%). (11)
Trends in Asbestos Complaints
KCIC generally receives data for about half of total filings for a given year by July 31. If this trend holds out, 2023 will ultimately show an increase of 5% to 6% compared to last year’s numbers. (12)
So far, mesothelioma and lung cancer filings have continued to go up. On the flip side, filings for other asbestos exposure diseases have gone down. (13)
The other factor to watch is region. New York filings have increased overall. By the end of year, we will know whether this trend continued. (14)
