[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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