Maryland Court Affirms Summary Judgment for Asbestos Bankruptcy Trust

ANNAPOLIS, Md. –– A Maryland appellate court has upheld an award of summary judgment to the Wallace & Gale Asbestos Settlement Trust, ruling that four asbestos plaintiffs could not recover damages from the Trust for claims that were resolved years ago.

In the Nov. 29 opinion, the Maryland Special Court of Appeals said that although Wallace & Gale was in bankruptcy at the time the lawsuits were filed, the plaintiffs made the decision to negotiate settlements with parties involved in the case and the “emergence of the trust from bankruptcy does not take these cases outside the rule applicable generally …