In a bold and unprecedented move that could drastically alter the nature of asbestos litigation, a coalition of 47 companies last week asked a federal judge to dismiss tens of thousands of pending cases, alleging that the vast majority of them are premised on flawed or fraudulent medical diagnoses.

In the motion, defense lawyers say they are targeting claims that stem from “mass medical screening enterprises” which, they say, have clogged the courts with thousands of bogus asbestos claims.