[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]
REMEMBERING JOHN D. COONEY, SR.
Mr. DURBIN. Madam President, 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.
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