Iowa Court Declines to Revisit Order on Punitive Damages in Benzene Case; Trial Set for Later This Month

DAVENPORT, Iowa –– An Iowa federal court has denied a defense motion to reconsider its earlier order allowing a punitive damage claim to proceed, saying that it had already “considered and rejected the arguments now raised by the defendants.”

In the March 8 order, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa further explained that the defendants had failed to identify “any clearly or manifestly erroneous findings or facts or conclusions of law.”

Trial in the underlying benzene matter is scheduled to begin on March 28, according to a recent online docket entry.

Plaintiff Cheri Dahlin originally filed …