Supervisor's Contradictory Testimony of Exposure Precludes Judgment for Suppliers

SAN FRANCISCO - While inconsistent testimony regarding a co-worker's exposure to asbestos products supplied by two corporations may be grounds for impeachment of a witness, it does not justify an award of summary judgment for the defendants, a California appeals court has ruled. Patterson, et al. v. Keenan Properties, Inc., et al., No. A099831, A099418 (Calif. Ct. App.).

In a Dec. 3 decision reversing summary judgment awarded to the two suppliers, California's First District Court of Appeal ruled that questions of fact continue to surround the circumstances of plaintiff Charles Patterson's asbestos exposure, which allegedly caused him to develop lung …