Zurich Asks South Carolina Supreme Court to Issue Order Requiring Asbestos Judge to Recuse Herself

COLUMBIA, S.C. –– An insurer involved in several asbestos cases has sought help from South Carolina’s highest court, arguing that the judge assigned to the state’s asbestos docket has irreparably harmed Zurich American Insurance Company by refusing to recuse herself from the proceedings.

In a May 8 petition for writ of mandamus filed in the South Carolina Supreme Court, Zurich American Insurance Company requested that the high court direct Honorable Jean Hoefer Toal to recuse herself from presiding in a number of asbestos cases, calling the circumstances “unique,” and stating that the remedy is justified in order to protect Zurich’s …