N.C. Court of Appeals Affirms Denial of Workers’ Compensation Benefits to 2 Asbestos Plaintiffs

RALEIGH, N.C. –– A North Carolina appellate court has affirmed the denial of benefits to two plaintiffs who contended that they developed asbestos-related injuries during their employment with a now-bankrupt company.

In the Oct. 6 order, the North Carolina Court of Appeals held that it could not expand the definition of ‘covered claims’ beyond the “clearly express language of the statutes.”

“When workers who suffer from occupational disease incurred their last injurious exposure to asbestos prior to a self-insurer joining the Security Association, this court cannot interpret the statute in a manner contrary to its plain and unambiguous …