Fisher: Silver Arrest Shows “Seedy Side of Asbestos Litigation”

Forbes’ Daniel Fisher reports on the charges filed against New York Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, which accuses Silver of “accepting more than $5.3 million in payments from Weitz & Luxenberg, a New York law firm that specializes in asbestos lawsuits.”

“Silver is also accused of obtaining the money in exchange for client referrals from an unnamed doctor in Manhattan who is cooperating with prosecutors under non-prosecution agreement,” writes Fisher. “The doctor is accused of receiving substantial benefits from the Speaker, including $500,000 in grants for his mesothelioma research clinic and a job for a family member at a state-funded non-profit.”

Read the full column here.