Asbestos Case Tracker

Corporate Representative Affidavit Found Insufficient in Connection with NYCAL Summary Judgment Motion

Court: Supreme Court of New York, New York County

In this asbestos action, decedent Willie Hollingsworth alleged he was exposed to asbestos from valves manufactured by Clow. Defendant McWane Inc., on behalf of its unincorporated division Clow Valve Company, moved for summary judgment.

Defendant argued that Clow valves could not have caused or contributed to decedent’s injury. Defendant argued that plaintiff did not sufficiently identify Clow valves as a source of asbestos exposure. Plaintiff opposed defendant’s motion, citing plaintiff’s testimony identifying Clow valves and failing …

December 8, 2023 New York / Summary Judgment / Supreme Court of New York

Posted by: Elizabeth M. Lautenbach

Tile Manufacturer Denied Summary Judgment in NYCAL

Court: Supreme Court of New York, New York County

In this asbestos action, plaintiff Peter Marino alleged he was exposed to asbestos from floor tiles manufactured by defendant, The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company. Goodyear moved for summary judgment, arguing it could not have caused or contributed to plaintiff’s injury. Goodyear argued plaintiff “identified only potential exposure to Goodyear without surrounding details or confirmation.” Defendant further argued that plaintiff did not see the packaging of its floor tile, as well as its floor tiles would …

December 7, 2023 New York / Summary Judgment

Posted by: Quincy Conrad

Pump Manufacturer’s Motion for Summary Judgment Denied

Court: Supreme Court of New York, New York County

Defendant Milton Roy LLC filed a motion for summary judgment on the grounds that the plaintiff failed to identify Milton Roy as a manufacturer of any asbestos-containing products to which he was exposed during his employment with Con Edison between the 1970s and 1990s. In support of its motion, Milton Roy provided an affidavit from its corporate representative, which confirmed that none of the pumps at the plaintiff’s jobsites utilized asbestos-containing gaskets or other components.

In …

December 7, 2023 New York / Summary Judgment

Posted by: Quincy Conrad

Air Compressor Manufacturer’s Motion for Summary Judgment Denied

Court: Supreme Court of New York, New York County

Defendant Campbell Hausfeld LLC filed a motion for summary judgment on the basis that no Campbell product had been identified in connection with the plaintiff’s lung cancer. In support of its motion, Campbell pointed out the plaintiff’s history of cigarette smoking, and reiterated that the plaintiff could not prove exposure to asbestos from gasket replacements on its air compressors. In addition, Campbell asserted that the gaskets described by the plaintiff would not have contained asbestos.

In …

November 14, 2023 Bankruptcy / Talc

Posted by: Stephen Jenkins

Johnson & Johnson Considers a Third Talc Bankruptcy to Avoid Further Litigation

With more than two dozen jury trials scheduled over the next year involving contaminated talc claims related to its ubiquitous baby powder, discussions are already at Johnson & Johnson to puts its talc unit, LTL Management, back into bankruptcy for a third time.

J&J’s worldwide vice president of its talc litigation, Erik Haas, revealed during an October 17 earnings call the company is considering using another bankruptcy in hopes of pushing forward with an estimated $8.9 billion settlement of the thousands of claims alleging that …

November 10, 2023 Expert Reports / Montana / Motions in Limine

Posted by: Susan R. Allen-Robbins

Court Denies Motions in Limine Despite Finding Expert Report Disclosure Untimely

Court: United States District Court for the District of Montana, Great Falls Division

From 1923 to 1994, Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway Company (BNSF) transported vermiculite ore containing amphibole asbestos from a mining and processing location in Libby, Montana. Subsequently, an accumulation of airborne asbestos resulted in and around the town where plaintiffs resided. Plaintiffs allege the defendant’s railyard in downtown Libby served as the hub of the company’s vermiculate business and that it transported crushed vermiculite ore in open rail cars along its “Libby …

November 8, 2023 Bankruptcy / Motion for Leave / Motion to Dismiss / North Carolina

Posted by: Kerry L. Jones

Court Denies Asbestos Committee’s Motion for Leave to Appeal Bankruptcy Court’s Denial Order Regarding George-Pacific

Court: United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina, Charlotte Division

As previously reported here in the Asbestos Case Tracker, in 2017 Bestwall LLC became solely responsible for all asbestos-related liabilities of Georgia-Pacific LLC following a divisional merger. After the restructuring, Bestwall filed a voluntary petition for chapter 11 bankruptcy in the Western District of North Carolina to resolve asbestos-related claims against it by way of a trust under 524(g) of the Bankruptcy Code. The Bankruptcy Court subsequently approved the appointment of …

November 7, 2023 Motion to Exclude / Summary Judgment

Posted by: Nicole Caspers

Plaintiff’s Expert Precluded under Rule 702, Talc Defendant’s Motion for Summary Judgment Granted

4^th Circuit US District Court

Plaintiff Patricia McElroy claimed asbestos exposure via talc-based beauty products from varying brands and asserted a cause of action based upon negligence and product liability, including inadequate design, formulation, breach of implied warranty, willful and wanton conduct, and failure to warn. The plaintiff alleged that defendant Colgate-Palmolive Company developed, manufactured, marketed, and distributed Cashmere Bouquet, which the plaintiff claimed caused her to inhale mesothelioma-causing asbestos fibers. The defendant moved to exclude the testimony of expert witness William Ewing, …

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 …

November 1, 2023 Motion to Renew / New York / Summary Judgment

Posted by: Kerry L. Jones

Floor Tile Manufacturer’s Motion for Renewal Denied on Causation Ground

Court: Supreme Court of New York, New York County

Defendant Mannington Mills Inc. moved for renewal of its previously denied motion for summary judgment, arguing the New York Court of Appeals’ Nemeth decision has since changed the law regarding causation. Under New York law, a party may move for leave to renew a decision to assert “new facts not offered on the prior motion that would change the prior determination or . . . demonstrate that there has been a change in the law that …