New York Judge Groups Lung Cancer, Mesothelioma Cases in Single Trial

NEW YORK — Two former Long Island Lighting Company workers who recently died from different types of cancer they blamed on asbestos exposure will have their lawsuits heard before the same jury in a consolidated trial that begins Jan. 7.

According to an order issued Oct. 2 by New York County Supreme Court Justice Barbara Jaffe, the lawsuits share enough common issues to justify being tried together, despite the fact that one of the plaintiffs suffered from mesothelioma and the other from lung cancer.

“Here, there are only two plaintiffs, and while the medical evidence may differ, plaintiffs performed the …