Asbestos MDL: X-ray Screenings 'Tantamount' to Race to Court

PHILADELPHIA - The judge overseeing the nation's federal asbestos litigation has entered an order in Philadelphia that would subject all claims filed as a result of mass X-ray screenings to administrative dismissal. In Re: Asbestos Products Liability Litigation (No. VI), MDL Docket No. 875 (E.D. Pa.).

The administrative order, entered Jan. 15 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, is the Asbestos MDL's eighth and could have a profound effect on the future commencement of certain asbestos claims in federal courts.

Administrative Order No. 8 was issued by Judge Charles R. Weiner after 41 defendants named …