Asbestos Case Tracker

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February 11, 2016 • Asbestos Case Tracker, Case Decisions, New York, Pleadings Challenge

Defendants, Miners and Suppliers of Talc, Granted Motions to Dismiss Plaintiff’s Claim of Market Share Liability as Manufacturer of the Product was Identifiable

In this case, it is alleged that the plaintiff, Keri Logiudice, contracted mesothelioma from her use of Cashmere Bouquet cosmetic talcum powder. The defendants, Cyprus Amax Minerals and Imerys Talc America Inc., mined and supplied talc to Colgate, the manufacturer of Cashmere Bouquet, and moved to dismiss the plaintiff’s sixth cause of action for market …

February 11, 2016 • Asbestos Case Tracker, Case Decisions, State>California, Summary Judgment

In Fact-Intensive Unpublished Opinion, California Appeals Court Reverses Grant of Summary Judgment to Three of Four Automotive Defendants

In this unpublished opinion, the plaintiffs appealed after the trial court granted summary judgment to defendants Ford, Navistar, Gibbs International, and Kelsey-Hayes. The plaintiffs also filed motions for a new trial as to all four defendants, which the trial court denied. The decedent was a civilian employee at the Naval Construction Battalion Center; while he …

February 10, 2016 • Asbestos Case Tracker, Case Decisions, Maritime/Admiralty Law, State>California, Summary Judgment

On Remand, Federal Court Again Grants Summary Judgment on Plaintiff’s Maritime and State Law Claims

In this federal court case, the court’s jurisdiction was based solely on the plaintiff’s assertion of maritime jurisdiction as set forth in in his fourth amended complaint. The plaintiff brought claims against 54 defendants that manufactured asbestos-containing products that the decedent, Christopher Curtis, was allegedly exposed to in three different situations: From 1955-58 while he …

February 9, 2016 • Asbestos Case Tracker, Insurance Coverage

Massachusetts Court Grants Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss in Case Where Plaintiff Sought Reimbursement for Litigation Expenses in Asbestos-Related Cases

The U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts ruled that the Massachusetts Insurers Insolvency Fund could not pierce the corporate veil or impose successor liability on a corporation that purchased the assets of another corporation, which was the subject of workplace injury claims based on exposure to asbestos and whose liability insurers had become …

February 8, 2016 • Asbestos Case Tracker, Case Decisions, Delaware, Remand/Removal, State, State>Delaware

Federal Magistrate Judge Recommends Denial of Plaintiff’s Motion to Remand in Two Cases Originating in Delaware

In two nearly identical cases from the District of Delaware, the magistrate judge issued a report and recommendation, recommending the denial of the plaintiffs’ motion to remand to state court. In the first case, the plaintiff husband and wife alleged that the husband developed mesothelioma through exposure to asbestos while serving as a boiler tender …

February 8, 2016 • Asbestos Case Tracker, Case Decisions, Pennsylvania, Summary Judgment

Plaintiff’s Failure to List Claims in Bankruptcy Petition Not Enough to Warrant Judicial Estoppel of Such Claims

In 2000, the plaintiff brought claims for non-malignant asbestos-related diseases, including ship owners represented by Thompson Hine LLP. In 2004, the plaintiff filed for bankruptcy, without listing his asbestos claims as assets. Three months later the bankruptcy case was closed. In 2007, the plaintiff brought claims for a malignant asbestos-related disease; in 2011 the MDL …

February 4, 2016 • Asbestos Case Tracker, Case Decisions, New York, Summary Judgment

Several Defendants Not Named in Plaintiffs’ Interrogatory Answers Move for Summary Judgment With Various Results

In this case, the plaintiff, Mark Denison, claimed exposure to asbestos from numerous products while working at his father’s hardware store from 1964-65 to 1969, Dunkirk Radiator from 1972 to 1987, and from his own automotive repair business from 1980 to the early 1990s. Defendants Bird, Inc., Euclid-Hitachi Heavy Equipment, Inc., F.E. Myers, Oshkosh Corporation, …

February 3, 2016 • Asbestos Case Tracker, Asbestos Litigation Analysis, Science

Big Picture Thinking About Headlines Involving “Cancer”: Is Cancer Environmentally-Induced or Due to “Bad Luck”?

When cancer causation is at the heart of a toxic tort case it is critical to remain abreast of current research in the field. A good toxic tort lawyer must consider not only the science that will help him win his case, but also maintain an awareness of the scientific research related to basic knowledge …

February 3, 2016 • Asbestos Case Tracker, Case Decisions, State>Delaware, Summary Judgment

District Court Adopts Report and Recommendation of Magistrate in Both Granting and Denying Summary Judgment to Various Defendants

The district court reviewed the report and recommendations of the U.S. Magistrate Judge, which recommended granting and denying summary judgment to various defendants. The court applied maritime law in granting summary judgment to Electrolux, ABB, Velan Valve, GE, CBS, Foster Wheeler, and Owens-Illinois, and denying summary judgment to Buffalo, Ingersoll-Rand (denied in part), Aurora, IMO, …

February 3, 2016 • Asbestos Case Tracker, Other Asbestos News

Japanese Court Finds Construction Materials Makers Liable for Failure to Warn About Asbestos Exposure

On January 29, 2016, the Kyoto District Court held that nine companies must pay 112 million yen in damages for selling materials without warning that they contained asbestos. Presiding Judge Kazumi Higa further ordered the government to pay 104 million yen for its failure to take preventative measures. This lawsuit arose when a former construction worker filed …