Women Who Washed Husbands' Asbestos-Laden Work Clothes Can Bring Suit, State Supreme Court Rules

INDIANAPOLIS - Plaintiffs with indirect asbestos exposure that occurs outside an occupational context may be entitled to damages for alleged asbestos-related injuries under state product liability laws, a state Supreme Court has ruled.

In separate decisions that reverse dismissal of three cases brought by women allegedly exposed to asbestos brought home on their husband's clothing, the Indiana Supreme Court ruled May 17 that the wives have cognizable claims as bystanders under the state's Product Liability Act.

'Here, the reasonably expected use of asbestos products encompasses the cleansing of asbestos residue from one's person and clothing at the end of the …