Real-Time Court Decisions and Other Developments in Asbestos Litigation.
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, September 16, 2020 The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana has issued seven decisions on motions in limine filed by both plaintiffs and defendants in the Dempster v. Lamorak Insurance Co. matter, which has been closely followed by Asbestos Case Tracker. By way …
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, September 18, 2020 In this asbestos matter, plaintiff James Becnel contends that he developed lung cancer as a result of his work aboard a Navy vessel while employed at Avondale. The initial complaint was filed in the Civil District Court for the Parish of Orleans on …
U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Louisiana, September 17, 2020 The instant matter has been extensively covered by the Asbestos Case Tracker blog. In addition to the myriad of other motions in limine filed, the plaintiffs filed a motion in limine to exclude questions or comments concerning collateral sources of income or payments. Multiple defendants opposed the motion. The defendants …
The plaintiffs in two asbestos product liability actions, represented by the same attorneys, moved to consolidate for purposes of a joint trial pursuant to CPLR § 602(a). Defendant Kaiser Gypsum Company, Inc. is the single remaining defendant in both actions. In NYCAL, the plaintiffs must show that joinder is appropriate pursuant to the Malcolm v. …
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas, Central Division, September 11, 2020 Defendant Cyprus Mines filed a motion to dismiss for lack of personal jurisdiction, arguing the court does not have jurisdiction over Cyprus even though it provided talc to Johnson & Johnson, which incorporated the talc into consumer products and then sold …
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, August 28, 2020 The state court matter of Paul Hotard was removed by a defendant to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana on diversity grounds. The plaintiff filed a motion seeking to remand the matter to state court because, the plaintiff argued, the …
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas, Central Division, August 25, 2020 Defendant Federal-Mogul Asbestos Personal Injury Trust, as successor to both the Felt-Products Manufacturing Company and the Vellumoid Division of Federal-Mogul Corporation, filed separate motions to dismiss on behalf of each. The court notes that both motions failed to comply with Local …
Supreme Court, Appellate Division, First Department, New York, August 6, 2020 The Appellate Division of the First Department of New York vacated a $13 million award in a mesothelioma case, stating that the award deviated from what would be “reasonable compensation” for the claims. During the initial trial, the jury awarded $4 million for future …
U.S. District Court for the District of North Dakota In Kotalik v. A.W. Chesterton Co., several defendants filed motions to enforce the plaintiffs’ compliance with disclosure requirements of North Dakota’s Asbestos Bankruptcy Trust Transparency Act. Counsel for the defendants as well as plaintiffs moved the court for a hearing on the issue. Lastly, plaintiffs’ counsel …
U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware, July 29, 2020 Plaintiff John Pruitt filed this asbestos lawsuit alleging he contracted mesothelioma from occupational exposure to asbestos. The plaintiff served in the Navy from September 1959 to April 1962. Upon his discharge from the Navy, he worked at Schroer, a John Deere farm equipment dealership …