[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 71 (Thursday, April 27, 2023)] [Senate] [Page S1411] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
Date: 2023-04-27
Chamber: SENATE
Mr. DURBIN: earlier this year, Chicago--and the entire legal world--lost a giant. John Devitt Cooney, Sr., a titan of trial law, passed away at the age of 68. He was a skilled litigator who used his brilliant legal mind, charm, quick wit, and sense of humor to help everyday ``Davids'' in the never-ending battle against corporate ``Goliaths.'' John may have been born for the role. His father, Robert Cooney, Sr., served in World War II, returned home--GI benefits in hand--and attended Loyola University School of Law in Chicago. When he graduated from law school, Robert worked in the Cook County State's Attorney's Office before setting up a successful personal injury firm. John followed suit. Born and raised in Oak Park, IL, John graduated from Fenwick High School and went on to attend Georgetown University for his undergraduate studies. During his years at Georgetown, he briefly worked on Capitol Hill. It was the 1970s: an era of disco, tie-dye, and Watergate. While John may not have been all that interested in politics at the time, his experience on Capitol Hill enhanced his interest in the law. John finished his studies at Georgetown and moved back to Illinois to attend Loyola University School of Law in Chicago. His first job out of law school was as a Cook County Assistant State's Attorney, just like his father, where he worked within the Felony Trial Division. It was a formative experience for John. As a young lawyer, he developed a deep empathy for how wrongful acts hurt victims and their families. It was there where he honed his craft, spending invaluable time in the courtroom, selecting juries, developing trial strategies, and presenting cases to juries. After 5 years, in 1985, John joined his father, his brother Robert, Jr., and his future partner Kevin Conway, at the Chicago personal injury firm, Cooney & Stenn. John made partner in just five years at the firm that would become Cooney & Conway, one of the leading personal injury and wrongful death firms in the United States. John excelled in cases related to construction accidents and product liability, and he had a strong commitment to helping individuals in asbestos exposure cases. Some may have only heard of ``asbestos'' or ``mesothelioma'' through late-night television commercials or radio ads. If that is the case, they are fortunate. Asbestos is a strong, heat resistant fiber that can be found in many building materials, such as insulation, roofing shingles, and pipe coverings. Inhaling these fibers can have devastating health consequences. As early as the 1930s, public health professionals were sounding the alarm about the dangers of exposure to asbestos. Yet, for decades, some companies ignored the risks, putting profits above the health and well-being of employees and consumers. Between 1940 and 1979, nearly 30 million workers were exposed to asbestos, and around one-third of those workers were veterans. To this day, exposure to asbestos is the only known cause of mesothelioma, an aggressive and incurable form of cancer in which a tumor develops in the protective lining of lungs, and slowly compresses until the victim suffocates. It can take years to discover mesothelioma, and by the time it is discovered, the victim often only has several months to live. John and his team at Cooney & Conway focused on holding the companies that put profits over people accountable and doing right by victims and their families. And they were successful, obtaining more than $20 billion for victims and their families, including a $200 million asbestos exposure settlement that was the largest personal injury settlement in the history of Illinois. While compensation does little to ease the pain or the loss of a loved one to this devastating disease, John's efforts protected victims' rights to justice and gave them a voice against powerful corporations. John's legacy goes well beyond the courtroom. In 2014, John became president of the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, an organization of more than 2,000 members that has served the interests of plaintiffs' attorneys and consumers since 1952. He also was the founding chairman of the mass torts litigation committee for the American Bar Association, and he served as an elected governor of the American Association for Justice, the leading voice for trial lawyers at the national level. John and his firm also gave back. Cooney & Conway provided more than $1 million to support the work of Dr. Hedy Lee Kindler, one of the Nation's leading mesothelioma researchers at the University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center, a leading mesothelioma research and treatment center. John also served on the boards of the University of Chicago Medical Center and Lurie Children's Hospital. Holding large manufacturers and the wealthiest corporations accountable was not just a professional endeavor. For John, it was personal. Everyday folks--pipefitters, laborers, construction workers, members of ``The Greatest Generation''--those are the people for whom John gladly went to bat. He knew these were people whose only error was venturing into a hazardous workplace, putting in a hard day's work, and daring to breathe, to try to make a good life for themselves and their families. Earlier this year, Loretta and I gathered with John's family and friends at Old St. Pat's Church in Chicago, to say farewell to John and celebrate the light that he brought into this world. John's many friends filled every pew. Loretta and I extend our sincerest condolences to Barbara, his loving wife of 35 years; his daughter Elizabeth (Matt); his sons Devitt (Bess); and Bobby (Hutton); his brother Robert, Jr., (Loretta); his entire family; and his many friends and colleagues. John's legacy and contributions to the law, to Chicago, and to our Nation will not be forgotten.