With Michigan’s 2018 adoption of its Asbestos Bankruptcy Trust Claims Transparency Act, fourteen states now have asbestos claims transparency laws on the books.
Continuing its recent trend to mirror their federal counterpart, the Minnesota Supreme Court (the “Court”) recently approved several amendments to the Minnesota Rules of Civil Procedure (“MRCP”).
On May 21, 2018, the Minnesota Court of Appeals, in an unpublished decision, affirmed the rulings of the district court judge overseeing all asbestos litigation in Minnesota on various grounds.
Despite a bipartisan push to significantly alter workplace sexual harassment law in Minnesota, the legislative session ended this week with no changes to the law. At issue was the proposed rejection of the “severe or pervasive” standard that has prevailed for sexual harassment1 claims nationally and in Minnesota for more than 30 years. Proponents of the bill contended that the legal standard is too onerous to prove an allegation of sexual harassment. Business groups, meanwhile, maintained that the proposal would have created a level of uncertainty for Minnesota employers. What remains to be seen is whether, inspired by the #MeToo movement, the Minnesota Legislature revisits this issue during its next session.
