Numbers of Defendants and Cross-claims

Another unique feature of asbestos litigation is that a typical personal injury case involves an average of twenty defendants, who, in most jurisdictions, file cross-claims against each other.³⁵ Multiple defendants and claims complicate management of the massive amounts of paperwork and motions generated by these parties. In addition, satellite litigation among defendants and their insurers impedes settlement or disposition of the asbestos injury claims.³⁸