Category: Summary Judgment

Case Decisions / New York / Summary Judgment
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Pump Manufacturer’s Motion for Summary Judgement Denied Because Burden of Proof Unsatisfied

Plaintiffs Patrick and Joy Demartino brought suit against various defendants after Patrick Demartino developed mesothelioma. Defendant Aurora Pump Company moved for summary judgment, arguing that it did not use or sell external asbestos-containing gaskets. The court denied this motion.

It was undisputed that during the plaintiff’s time of alleged exposure to Aurora pumps while working at Walker-Prismatic from 1975-1986, Aurora used and sold asbestos-containing gaskets. The plaintiff testified that his only source of asbestos exposure from Aurora pumps was from replacement of external flange gaskets. …

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Case Decisions / Rhode Island / Summary Judgment
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Affidavits Executed by Decedent Containing Product Identification Admissible Under Dying Declaration Hearsay Exception

Decedent John Pisano executed three affidavits regarding Sears products after he was diagnosed with mesothelioma; he died three months after his diagnosis and was never deposed. The affidavits detailed the decedent’s use of floor tile, ceiling tile, and mastic purchased from Sears. Defendant Sears, Roebuck and Co. moved for summary judgment on various bases. The plaintiff presented these three affidavits in opposition to Sears’ summary judgment motion. The court denied the motion for summary judgment.

Sears argued the plaintiff could not demonstrate any causal connection …

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Case Decisions / Summary Judgment
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Motion for Reconsideration Denied for Defendant’s Failure to Put Forth Necessary New Evidence

The plaintiffs brought this action against multiple defendants including Foster Wheeler and Crane Co. for injuries allegedly sustained while Mr. Osterhaut served in the U.S. Navy onboard the USS Roan.

Summary judgment was denied as to both Foster Wheeler and Crane. Crane filed the instant Motion for Reconsideration. The court noted that reconsideration is appropriate only when 1) and intervening change in controlling law took place 2) new evidence is available and 3) the need to correct clear error of law is present.

Additionally before …

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Case Decisions / Indiana / Summary Judgment
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Third Circuit Reverses Summary Judgment for Switchgear Manufacturer and Remands

Carol J. Zellner, on behalf of the estate of Clifford R. Zellner, appealed the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania’s order granting summary judgment in favor of CBS Corporation to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, arguing that the district court erred in finding that she failed to establish a genuine dispute about whether Westinghouse Electric Corporation (predecessor to CBS Corporation) switchgear had deteriorated and exposed her now deceased husband to asbestos-containing dust. The Court of Appeals agreed, and …

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Case Decisions / New York / Summary Judgment
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Pump Manufacturer Granted Summary Judgment for Plaintiff’s Failure to Establish Sufficient Exposure

Plaintiff-Decedent William Holzworth filed suit against various defendants in the New York Supreme Court on July 9, 2012 alleging personal injuries pursuant to his diagnosis of mesothelioma allegedly caused by his occupational exposure to asbestos. Specifically, Holzworth alleged exposure to asbestos-containing products during this employment, both as a sonarman serving in the U.S. Navy between 1952 and 1955, and as a construction and project manager between 1963 and 2007. The defendants removed this action to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New …

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Case Decisions / New York / Summary Judgment
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Denial of Summary Judgment of Boiler Manufacturer Affirmed on Appeal

Relying on Koulermos v. A.O. Smith Water Prods., the New York Appellate Division, First Department upheld the trial court’s denial of summary judgment. The court found that the trial court used the correct standard and that Cleaver Brooks failed to put forth evidence illustrating how it was entitled to summary judgment.

Read the decision here.

Read a full summary of the case here.…

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Bare Metal/Component Parts / Case Decisions / Louisiana / Summary Judgment
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Federal Court Outlines Alternative Standard to Bare Metal Defense

William Bell alleged routine exposure to asbestos while serving as an engine man, machinery repairman, and a machinist mate in the United States Navy in the 1960s. Bell further alleged he was exposed to asbestos both while serving at sea on four ships as well as while training at a land-based Navy facility in Idaho. After being diagnosed with mesothelioma in 2015, Bell sued various companies that manufactured a wide range of products including pumps, valves, condensers, compressors, and turbines located on the Navy vessels …

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Case Decisions / Indiana / Summary Judgment
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Due Precaution Exception to General Rule of Non-Liability for Independent Contractors Applied to Potentially Establish Liability Against Premises Owners

The plaintiff was an industrial and commercial electrician diagnosed with malignant pleural mesothelioma. He and his wife filed a complaint alleging negligence against various defendants. The plaintiffs argued defendants were vicariously liable for the acts of their independent contractor employees (non-delegable duty doctrine), those of their own employees (respondeat superior), and as premises owners. Defendants Bremen Casting and Mastic Home Exteriors moved for summary judgment, which was partially granted on the negligence of independent contractor and premises liability claims. All parties moved for interlocutory appeal. …

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Case Decisions / North Carolina / Summary Judgment
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Supplier of Asbestos for Joint Compound Denied Summary Judgment

The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina denied the motion for summary judgment of defendant Union Carbide Corporation in a case involving alleged exposure to raw asbestos fiber allegedly in joint compound. James Lee was a painter in North Carolina from the late 1960s into the 2000s, and during that time the plaintiffs allege that Lee applied and sanded asbestos-containing joint compound to finish drywall, as well as sanded and swept joint compound. Sanding joint compound created a dust, which would …

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Case Decisions / Summary Judgment / Take-Home Exposure
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Employers Not Liable for Employee Take-Home Exposure

The plaintiffs allege Ernest V. Quiroz was exposed to asbestos from his father’s work clothes during the years he lived at his father’s home (1952 to 1966). Defendant Reynolds moved for summary judgment, arguing that it did not owe Dr. Quiroz a duty of care. The trial court granted the motion, finding Reynolds “had no duty to Plaintiffs as a matter of law.” The plaintiffs appealed and the case was heard by the Court of Appeals of Arizona, Division One.

In a negligence action under …

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