News & Articles

On February 25-26 attorneys gathered in Southern California to hear thought leaders speak at Perrin’s Asbestos Litigation Conference, “Cutting-Edge Issues in Asbestos Litigation.” Speakers included three of the firm’s partners: Perry Browder, who leads the firm’s asbestos litigation department; John Barnerd, co-head of asbestos litigation; and Robert Phillips, head of bankruptcy.

Senators Max Baucus and Charles E. Grassley released a report on Feburary 20, 2010 asking the Food and Drug Administration why it allowed a clinical trial of Avandia to continue after it estimated the drug caused over 80,000 heart attacks between 1999 and 2007.

Simmons Law Firm Managing Partner Michael Angelides has been named one of the St. Louis Business Journal’s “40 Under 40” for 2010. The recognition honors 40 “early achievers based on achievements in the awardees’ careers and work in the St. Louis community.”

Illinois Super Lawyers has recognized the Simmons Law Firm partner John Barnerd and intellectual property lawyer Paul Lesko as 2010 "Rising Stars." This is the third year in a row Barnerd has received this distinction, and the second year in a row for Lesko. "Rising Stars" are the best attorneys who are either 40 years of age or under or who have been practicing law for 10 or fewer years.

Amy Garrett makes a difference in people’s lives every day through her work at The Simmons Law Firm. She represents the firm’s clients all over the country who are suffering from asbestos-related diseases, particularly a cancer called mesothelioma.

The Simmons Law Firm, a leading national law firm in the fight against mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases, will present the second Miles for Meso 5K run and walk on Saturday, October 11, in University City, at 8 a.m. Registrations are being accepted at www.milesformeso.org. The Simmons Law Firm sponsored the first annual Miles for Meso event September 26 in Alton, Ill. Nearly 500 runners and walkers registered, and through matching donations by the Simmons Law Firm raised approximately $30,000.

The Simmons Law Firm, a leading national law firm in the fight against mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases, has appointed partner Trent Miracle to lead the firm’s growing pharmaceutical practice, which already is recognized on the national stage for its groundbreaking litigation of drug and supplement cases against major pharmaceutical companies.

The Simmons Law Firm, a leading national law firm in the fight against mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases, will sponsor the first annual “Miles for Meso” 5K run and walk on Saturday, September 26, 2009, in historic Alton, Ill., at 9 a.m. Along with generating awareness of mesothelioma, a rare and aggressive cancer caused by exposure to asbestos, the Simmons Law Firm’s sponsorship includes matching and donating all entry fees to the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation, a national nonprofit dedicated to funding critical research for better treatment options and, ultimately, to find a cure for mesothelioma.

Metcalf has tried dozens of asbestos cancer cases since the late 1970s. He has successfully represented many men and women diagnosed with mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases, including asbestosis, as well as other occupational diseases and toxic injuries.

SimmonsCooper LLC, a leading national law firm in the fight against mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases, today announced that it is changing its name to Simmons Browder Gianaris Angelides & Barnerd LLC. The firm will be known by clients and employees as the Simmons Law Firm.

Nationwide mesothelioma law firm is a sponsor of the International Symposium on Malignant Mesothelioma 2009 to be held June 25-27 in Washington, DC.

The Simmons Law Firm is one of the leading supporters of mesothelioma cancer research in the country and will hold its Third Annual Dinner Auction at the Gateway Center in Collinsville, Illinois on Thursday, May 21, 2009. Proceeds will benefit Habitat for Humanity and the National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI). The event is hosted by the Simmons Employee Foundation.

The Simmons Law Firm is one of the leading supporters of mesothelioma cancer research in the country and is an educational sponsor of the 5th Annual Asbestos Awareness Day Conference, to be held in Manhattan Beach, California, on Saturday, March 28, 2009.

Illinois Super Lawyers has recognized the Simmons Law Firm lawyers John Barnerd and Paul Lesko as a 2009 "Rising Stars." This is the second year in a row Barnerd has received this distinction. "Rising Stars" are the best attorneys who are either 40 years of age or under or who have been practicing law for 10 or fewer years.

The Simmons Law Firm partner Michael Angelides is set to speak at HarrisMartin's upcoming Delaware Asbestos Conference on February 20, 2009 at the Hotel DuPont in Wilmington, Delaware.

The Simmons Law Firm, a national law firm best known for helping victims of asbestos exposure, was recently recognized for offering free legal help to military veterans and was honored by the Illinois Bar Association for its commitment to charity and good works in the legal profession.

Over 15 attorneys at the Simmons Law Firm are available to take cases from the VLSC on a pro bono basis. The Simmons Law Firm has represented the rights of veterans in hundreds of legal cases and a number of the Simmon firm staff is made up of ex-military personnel, making the rights of veterans an important value to uphold for the law firm. The firm was even recognized this year by the Illinois State Bar Association for their pro bono work with veterans when they received the John C. McAndrews Award for showing extraordinary commitment to providing free legal services for the poor.

The Simmons Law Firm announced today that the Mesothelioma Video Library Web site, a free educational resource for patients and families affected by mesothelioma, has been recognized by the Web Marketing Association and W3 Awards for its innovation and excellence on the web. The Mesothelioma Video Library is the first video-driven Web site to address mesothelioma and asbestos-related issues.

In its November publication, St. Louis Commerce Magazine featured the Simmons Law Firm, a leading national asbestos law firm, for its dedication to charitable efforts. Two November articles highlighted the Simmons Law Firm’s generous donation to the building of a cancer institute at SIU and their recent award, the John C. McAndrews award, which they received for their pro bono work on behalf of veterans.

Leading asbestos law firm, the Simmons Law Firm, recently made a generous donation to the Building for the Future Campaign organized by the Land of Lincoln, a non-profit organization that provides low-income and senior citizens of 65 counties in central and southern Illinois free civil legal services.

"Over the years we've worked with so many families, doctors, and experienced asbestos experts - we've developed such an incredible network of resources," explained Michael Angelides, partner at the Simmons Law Firm. "We feel compelled to try to connect families with the best information and resources possible, legal or otherwise, and reaching out online is just one of the ways we try to do that."

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. (AP) -- At least eight people were sickened by exposure to the chemical yesterday, and emergency rooms were quarantined at two St. Louis hospitals where those people got treatment.

Business & commercial litigation firm SimmonsCooper announces a successful verdict in the high-profile English Royal Courts of Justice Intellectual property infringement case against Star Wars creator Lucasfilm.

The English High Court may be a long way from East Alton, Ill., but the Simmons Law Firm continues to make its mark in the legal industry, most recently winning a high profile intellectual property suit with its London affiliate, the Simmons Law Firm Andrew LLP, against George Lucas and Lucasfilm of Star Wars fame.

“It’s no secret that the legal profession gets a bad rap,” said John Simmons, the Simmons Law Firm founding partner. “Titles aside, our ultimate goal as trial attorneys is the same goal of the doctors and nurses who will soon begin work inside the Simmons Law Firm Cancer Institute – to prevent and alleviate the suffering of others. And as a firm rooted in helping mesothelioma and cancer victims, we are especially proud to be sponsoring this institute.”

The Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA) has chosen the Simmons Law Firm as the 2008 recipient of the John C. McAndrews Award, honoring members of the profession who have shown extraordinary commitment to providing free legal services to the poor.

The Simmons Law Firm -- one of the nation's leading supporters of mesothelioma cancer research -- has created a comprehensive video website featuring interviews with mesothelioma medical experts, patients and family members affected by mesothelioma, a rare cancer diagnosed in nearly 3,000 people every year.

The Simmons Law Firm attorneys volunteered to provide free legal services for homeless veterans at the Stand Down and throughout the year. Gloria Colon, an associate who joined the firm three years ago, dedicates about a third of her time representing homeless veterans.

A St. Louis area man and his family received a $3.5 million settlement after he was diagnosed with mesothelioma, a deadly asbestos cancer.

A Montana man's family received a $4.9 million settlement after he was exposed to asbestos and contracted pleural mesothelioma, a deadly cancer that attacks the lining of the lungs.

The man, 70, filed a lawsuit after being diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma, a deadly cancer caused by asbestos that attacks the lining of the lungs (pleura).

On September 11, 2007 a research paper published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) found that patients taking Avandia had a 42% greater chance of a heart attack.

Simmons Law Firm Partner Michael Angelides was recently a featured speaker at the Mealey's National Asbestos Litigation SuperConference in Scottsdale, Arizona. His seminar foacused on "Ethical Issues in Asbestos Litigation."

The Journal of the American Medical Association, the New England Journal of Medicine and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have confirmed that use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), a type of antidepressant, in late pregnancy can cause cognitive and developmental deficits in children.

The Illinois State Bar Association recognizes the Simmons Law Firm, an aggressive law firm dedicated to asbestos litigation, for their recent donation to fund a new, state-of-the art cancer facility in Southern Illinois.

In New Orleans, a federal jury ordered Merck to pay $51 million to a health-conscious retired FBI agent who suffered a heart attack at age 58 after taking the blockbuster drug for about 2 1/2 years.

Article about the increase in asbestos litigation in the State of Delaware. According to the Superior Court Prothonotary's office, 80 asbestos cases have been filed since January.

Recent findings, released in May from Washington, D.C.-based The Polling Co. Inc., support the assumption that businesses of all sizes are looking to those they normally face across the aisle in a courtroom - plaintiffs’ attorneys - to represent them in business-to-business litigation.

A pathologist who helped some Mallinckrodt workers and their families get compensation for radiation-induced cancers is spearheading a similar effort for former workers at two Metro-East plants once involved in the nation's atomic-weapons program.

The Delaware Superior Court for New Castle County denied a motion in limine, by the DaimlerChrysler Corp., to exclude expert testimony that working with automotive friction products causes asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma.

Medical and scientific general causation experts presented by plaintiffs alleging that their exposure to friction products in DaimlerChrysler vehicles has caused or will cause asbestos-related disease are sufficiently reliable to pass muster under Daubert, a Delaware judge held May 9.

Although a New Jersey jury spared Merck & Co. a double hit to the pocketbook, analysts are concerned that its negative findings on the marketing of Vioxx could continue to hurt the company as it defends itself against almost 10,000 lawsuits filed by users of the now-pulled arthritis drug.

This is a transcript of a morning show on NPR that has comments from David Levy of the Simmons Law Firm. The topic is U.S. attorneys taking up cases in countries around the world.

USG Corp. announced a unique asbestos-liability settlement Monday that could let the Chicago-based wallboard manufacturer emerge from bankruptcy by fall, repay its debtors in full, and resolve all current and future personal-injury asbestos claims against it.

As the first federal jury deliberates whether Merck & Co.'s painkiller Vioxx contributed to a Florida man's death, investors on Friday digested new claims that the battered company withheld key data about the drug's dangers.

Law Firm’s $10.2 million donation is first of its kind to aid worldwide cancer research.

Dozens of heart attack and stroke victims in Northeastern Pennsylvania are preparing to join the tidal wave of lawsuits against one of America’s largest drug companies. So far, more than 5,000 people nationwide have sued Merck & Co. Inc., claiming the company concealed evidence that its wonder-drug, Vioxx, caused serious cardiovascular problems.

Computer whizzes from two area law firms help evacuees from Hurricane Katrina wade through the muddy waters of the federal bureaucracy to find lost loved ones and fill out the forms they need to get help.

Merck & Co. (MRK) was dealt a resounding defeat last month when a Texas jury awarded $253.5 million to the family of Robert Ernst, who died in 2001 after taking Merck's painkiller, Vioxx, for eight months.

Two of the jurors who will decide if Merck & Co. Inc. caused the death of 59-year-old Robert Ernst are only 20 years old. They're old enough to help decide the outcome of the first of nearly 4,300 lawsuits filed across the country involving claims against the once-popular painkiller Vioxx. But they're not old enough to order a glass of wine with dinner.

Nation’s leading plaintiff firms – Madison Co. IL-based the Simmons Law Firm and NYC-based Hanly Conroy Bierstein & Sheridan LLP – Join forces in New York to begin contingency litigation for business v. business.

A Madison County, Illinois jury awarded a $250 million dollar verdict on Friday in favor of 70-year-old Roby Whittington, a retired U.S. Steel worker from Gary, Indiana. Whittington was diagnosed in 2001 with mesothelioma, a cancerous tumor caused by exposure to asbestos.

In May 2000, the Simmons Law Firm won the largest asbestos verdict in U.S. history, according to Mealey's Litigation Reporter.

The Distinguished Alumnus Award was given to former student John Simmons. Each year the award is given from the SIUE Alumni Association to a former student who has achieved distinction in a particular field and has served the university.

A judge has sanctioned Rancho Cordova's Aerojet for falsely denying it ever used cancer-causing asbestos in rockets and missiles it has manufactured since the early 1950s.

Lawyers in an asbestos case involving five victims of a deadly disease settled a case Friday in which the plaintiffs were asking for a reported $100 million. The victims all suffer from mesothelioma, a cancer of the lining surrounding the lungs. The condition is almost always fatal, say lawyers specializing in asbestos cases.

Asbestos is the most lethal substance ever widely used in the workplace. Between 1940 and 1979 over 27.5 million Americans were occupationally exposed. Millions more were exposed when these workers' brought this toxic dust home on their clothing, and many continue to be unknowingly exposed during demolition, construction and automotive work today.

Shell Oil Co. says it will appeal what is believed to be the largest verdict ever in Madison County, a $34.1 million judgment on behalf of a roofing worker who contracted an asbestos-related cancer while working at the Wood River refinery decades ago.