Court: Plaintiff Can Seek Punitive Damages Against Insurance Company

SAN FRANCISCO -- A California federal court has denied an insurance company's efforts to dismiss a claim for punitive damages asserted against it, but has granted the defendant's motion for a more definitive statement from the plaintiffs. Ham v. The Continental Insurance Co., et al., No. 08-1551 (N.D. Calif.).

In the March 2 opinion, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California also gave the plaintiffs five days to amend their complaint.

The underlying claims were asserted by Franklin Ham, who claims that he was exposed to asbestos in the 1960s and 1970s. Among those companies that …