Mo. Court Awards Ingersoll-Rand Summary Judgment, Says Collateral Estoppel Bars Asbestos Claims

ST. LOUIS –– A Missouri federal court has granted Ingersoll-Rand’s motion for summary judgment in an asbestos suit, finding that an award of summary judgment to the defendant in a prior Massachusetts action barred the instant claims.

In the Jan. 30 order, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri rejected the plaintiffs’ contention that the suit was not barred because the first suit involved asbestosis claims and the instant one involves mesothelioma claims.

The plaintiffs asserted the claims on behalf of Berj Hovsepian, contending that the decedent was exposed to asbestos-containing products while working as a civilian …