Bridgestone Reasserts Contention that Claims Fall Under the Workers' Compensation Act

DES MOINES, Iowa -- Benzene defendant Bridgestone/Firestone Inc. has filed a reply in support of its motion to dismiss, reasserting arguments that the plaintiffs' claims fit the definition of an occupational disease under the Iowa Workers' Compensation Act. Mielke, et al. v. Ashland Inc., et al., No. 05-88 (S.D. Iowa).

In the company's April1 reply filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa, Bridgestone claims that the plaintiffs do not dispute that the alleged exposure arose out of and in the course of employment, making the Workers' Compensation Act applicable.

'On its face, Plaintiff's complaint establishes …