Missouri Court Retains Jurisdiction over Asbestos Plaintiff’s Claims

ST. LOUIS –– A Missouri court has retained jurisdiction over an asbestos case, finding that Crane Co. had met its burden of establishing that its valves were made under the direction of the U.S. Navy.

In the Aug. 5 order, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri opined that the defendant had presented enough evidence to have the merits of its colorable federal contractor defense adjudicated in federal court.

Plaintiff Berj Hovsepian asserted the claims, contending that as a civilian employee of the U.S. Navy in the 1950s and 1960s and, additionally, as an employee with Polaroid …