Pa. Federal Judge Dismisses 18 Defendants From Asbestos MDL for Lack of Personal Jurisdiction

PHILADELPHIA — The Pennsylvania federal judge overseeing the national Asbestos Products Liability Multidistrict Litigation docket has dismissed 18 defendants for lack of personal jurisdiction, finding they lack sufficient contacts with the Virgin Islands, where the complaints against them were originally filed.

In an Oct. 23 order, Judge Eduardo C. Robreno of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania explained that the plaintiffs’ asbestos exposure claims do not arise from defendants’ activities in the Virgin Islands.

Plaintiffs in these cases, which were originally filed in the U.S. District Court for the Virgin Islands, are merchant marines and their …