La. Court Clarifies Successor-in-Interest Dispute in Asbestos Action

NEW ORLEANS -- A Louisiana appeals court has upheld an award of summary judgment to several asbestos defendants in a secondhand exposure case, clarifying confusion relating to the defendant's successor liability. Rome, et al. v. Asbestos Defendants, et al., No. 2010-CA-1645 (La. Ct. App., 4th Cir.).

In the June 16 opinion, the Louisiana 4th Circuit Court of Appeals opined that the confusion arose from two companies that have "confusingly similar names."

The plaintiffs contended that Elodie Rome was exposed to asbestos brought home on the clothing of her husband, father-in-law and brother-in-law. All three men worked at Avondale Shipyards Inc., …