Calif. Court Affirms Award of Summary Judgment to Vessel Defendants in Asbestos Case

LOS ANGELES –– A California appellate court has affirmed an award of summary judgment to two defendants in an asbestos case involving exposure on vessels, concluding that the evidence, at best, showed only a mere possibility of exposure.

In the Aug. 11 opinion, the California Court of Appeal, Second Appellate District, explained that the plaintiffs’ evidence showed only that the decedent removed insulation from pipes and that the insulation “possibly” contained asbestos.

“Even if that were true, there is no evidence that his exposure was significant enough ‘to show a reasonable medical probability that this exposure was a factor in …