Maritime/Admiralty Law Archives - Asbestos Case Tracker

Summary Judgment Denied as to U.S. Navy Ship Product Suppliers; Court Determines Florida Law Applies

U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania

Plaintiff Leona Rhoades, on behalf of the estate of her husband, Dewey T. Rhoades, commenced this action against a variety of defendants, alleging that their products contained asbestos that contributed to her husband’s lung cancer and eventual passing. Mr. Rhoades had been employed as a mechanical repair worker on various jobsites, including on U.S. Navy Ships in Florida. The three remaining defendants, General Electric Company (GE), Raytheon Technologies Corporation (RTC), and Northrop Grumman Corporation (NGC) each …

March 21, 2024 California / Damages / Maritime/Admiralty Law

Posted by: Asbestos Case Tracker

Motion to Dismiss Damages under Maritime Law Granted in Part

Jurisdiction: United States District Court for the Central District of California

In this action, the plaintiffs filed suit on behalf of the decedent, William Banks, in Los Angeles County Superior Court and thereafter removed the case to federal court. The plaintiffs pursued survival and wrongful death causes of action based on Banks’ alleged exposure to asbestos while serving in the United States Navy, and subsequent death from epithelial mesothelioma. Banks served as a machinist mate aboard several ships in the U.S. Navy from 1961 to …

November 3, 2023 Maritime/Admiralty Law / Pennsylvania / Summary Judgment

Posted by: Susan R. Allen-Robbins

Gasket Manufacturer’s Motions for Summary Judgment Granted, in part, Pursuant to Maritime Law

Court: United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania

Plaintiff’s decedent, Joseph Pine, served as a fireman aboard the USS Constellation from 1965-1967. After he died from mesothelioma a month after his diagnosis, his widow Lydia Pine (plaintiff) brought suit against defendant John Crane Inc. and a number of other asbestos manufacturers. As the final remaining defendant, Crane moved for summary judgment and to strike plaintiff’s jury demand.

According to the pleadings, the decedent worked on auxiliary equipment including pumps, gaskets, valves, generators, and steam-driven …

May 20, 2022 Maritime/Admiralty Law / Summary Judgment

Posted by: Elizabeth Lautenbach Adams

Summary Judgment Granted Dismissing Plaintiff’s State Claims Against Employer Under LHWCA

United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, May 19, 2022

In this asbestos action, plaintiff Callen Cortez brought state tort claims against Continental Insurance Company, sued in its capacity as the insurer of Halter Marine Services, Inc. The plaintiff worked at Halter Marine from 1974 until 1975, and was subsequently diagnosed with mesothelioma in 2020. Continental moved for summary judgment on the basis that the plaintiff’s claims against it are preempted under the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act (LHWCA).

Ultimately, the …

May 13, 2022 Maritime/Admiralty Law / New York / Summary Judgment

Posted by: Elizabeth Lautenbach Adams

Motions for Summary Judgment in Jones Act Matter Denied on Statute of Limitations and Causation Grounds

United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, May 9, 2022

In this asbestos action, decedent Carlo Badamo served on several vessels during his time as a merchant marine from 1944 to 1955. Thereafter, he alleged that he developed asbestos-related cancer and brought a claim under the Jones Act. Three defendants: Farrell Lines, Chiquita, and Chevron, brought motions for summary judgment contending that the decedent’s claim is barred by the three-year statute of limitations. The defendants assert that the decedent underwent X-ray …

March 18, 2022 Louisiana / Maritime/Admiralty Law / Remand/Removal

Posted by: Elizabeth Lautenbach Adams

Federal Court Exercises Supplemental Jurisdiction in Shipyard Case

U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, March 17, 2022

In this asbestos action, decedent Joseph B. Savoie, Jr. developed mesothelioma after being exposed to asbestos at the Avondale Shipyards. Certain defendants removed this matter to federal court in 2015. Following the plaintiff’s motion to remand, the Fifth Circuit held that removal was proper as the “Avondale Interests presented a colorable defense of federal contractor immunity” in 2017. The Avondale Interests were dismissed in 2021. Thereafter, the plaintiffs filed a motion to remand …

December 10, 2021 Maritime/Admiralty Law / Summary Judgment

Posted by: Asbestos Case Tracker

Report and Recommendation on 20 Motions for Summary Judgment Based on Product Identification and Causation Adopted

U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania, December 2, 2021

In this matter the plaintiff, Darlene Data, sued numerous defendants on behalf of her husband, Michael Data, who was diagnosed with mesothelioma in January 2019 and died on February 6, 2020. Mr. Data served in the United States Navy from June 1969 to March 1973, including aboard the U.S.S. Newport News. From July 1973 to August 1974, he worked at the Crane Company foundry in New Castle, Pennsylvania. Next, he worked at …

October 25, 2021 Maritime/Admiralty Law / Motion to Dismiss

Posted by: Elizabeth Lautenbach Adams

Manufacturer Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss Plaintiff’s Failure to Warn Claim Denied

U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California, October 21, 2021

In this asbestos action, Dale Spurlin served in the U.S. Navy from 1963 until 1969. During this time, he alleged asbestos exposure while maintaining the boilers and other equipment in the fire rooms on the USS McGinty and the USS Rowan. After this matter was more than two years into its pendency and the filing of summary judgment motions, the defendants argued that the court lacked subject matter jurisdiction by way of a …

September 27, 2021 Louisiana / Maritime/Admiralty Law

Posted by: Catherine L. Schwarze

Defendants’ MSJ Granted Based on Preemption by Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act

U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, September 24, 2021

Plaintiff Ronald J. Barrosse filed a petition for damages in Civil District Court for the Parish of Orleans, Louisiana, against several defendants. The plaintiff alleged that he was exposed to asbestos and/or asbestos-containing products during the course of his employment at Avondale Industries, Inc., and Union Carbide between 1969 and 1979, and that such products were produced, installed, removed, maintained, sold, and distributed by the defendants. The plaintiff testified that during his employment, …

August 4, 2021 Louisiana / Maritime/Admiralty Law / Summary Judgment

Posted by: Jessica Saad

Wallboard Manufacturer Denied Summary Judgment Due to Issue of Fact

U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, August 2, 2021

In August 2019, plaintiff Patricia Jackson brought a lawsuit for asbestos exposure in Orleans Parish Civil District Court against a number of defendants. On March 25, 2020, the case was removed to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana by the Avondale defendants following the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit’s decision in Latiolais v. Huntington Ingalls, Inc., which held that removal under section 1442(a) is …