Mississippi Code Title 11. Civil Practice and Procedure § 11-67-3 11-67-3. Declaration of legislative intent

(a) Asbestos is a mineral that was widely used for insulation, fireproofing, and other purposes;

(b) Exposure to asbestos has been causally associated with mesothelioma and lung cancer, as well as nonmalignant conditions such as asbestosis, pleural plaques, and diffuse pleural thickening;

(c) Approximately one hundred (100) employers have declared bankruptcy at least partially due to asbestos-related liability;

(d) Over ten thousand (10,000) companies have been named as asbestos defendants, including many small- and medium-sized companies, in industries that cover eighty-five percent (85%) of the United States economy;

(e) Scores of trusts have been established in asbestos-related bankruptcy proceedings to form a multibillion dollar asbestos bankruptcy trust compensation system outside of the tort system, and new asbestos trusts continue to be established;

(f) Asbestos plaintiffs often seek compensation both from solvent defendants in civil actions and from trusts or claims facilities formed in asbestos-related bankruptcy proceedings;

(g) There is limited coordination and transparency between these two (2) paths to recovery, which has resulted in the suppression of evidence in asbestos actions;  and

(h) Justice is promoted by transparency with respect to asbestos bankruptcy trust claims in civil asbestos actions.

(a) Provide transparency with respect to asbestos bankruptcy trust claims in civil asbestos actions by creating a substantive right for defendants to obtain bankruptcy trust discovery;

(b) Reduce the opportunity for oversight or suppression of evidence in asbestos actions;  and

(c) Enhance the ability of courts to oversee and manage asbestos cases.