( October 14, 2026, 2:34 PM EDT) -- OAKLAND, Calif. — A California judge consolidated two cases, one an action involving allegations of improper legal representation in an asbestos case and the other a suit involving questions about ownership of funds placed in a trust, according to the court’s dockets. The cases involve plaintiffs’ law firm Dean Omar Branham Shirley LLP (DOBS) and a former client in an asbestos action and issues that have spanned numerous cases over nearly eight years....