Wash. Court Rejects Deliberate Intention Exception to Worker’s Comp Act in Boeing Asbestos Exposure Case

OLYMPIA, Wash. — The Washington Supreme Court has affirmed a decision that absolved The Boeing Company of civil liability for the mesothelioma death of an employee who was exposed to asbestos while working for the company.

In a 5-4 decision dismissing the case against Boeing, the state high court held that in order for the employee to pursue his claim outside the state’s workers’ compensation system, Boeing would have to have had actual knowledge that the danger imposed by its employee’s asbestos exposure was certain to result in the alleged injury. However, asbestos exposure is not certain to cause mesothelioma …