Jurisdictional and limitations/waiver challenges rejected, fraud verdict affirmed

In Illinois Central Railroad Co. v. Guy, the Court reviewed a jury verdict that two lawyers had improperly induced a railroad into settling asbestos exposure claims.  No. 10-61006 (May 29, 2012).  The Court rejected jurisdictional challenges that were based on the Rooker-Feldman and Burford doctrines, finding sufficient distance between the facts of the case and the underlying state court proceedings.  Op. at 14, 16.  The Court also found sufficient evidence of affirmative acts of concealment, and due diligence by the railroad, to toll limitations, Op. at 20, although a dissent argued otherwise.  Op. at 27  (“I would reverse because doing nothing is not due diligence.”).  The Court rejected a waiver defense, distinguishing the defendants’ cases as arising when a fraud plaintiff accepted a benefit after it knew or should have known of fraudulent inducement.   Op. at 25.