Judge Says CBS Can't Show Federal Officer Jurisdiction, Remands Case to Madison County

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. - An asbestos lawsuit filed by a former U.S. Navy serviceman has been remanded to Madison County after a federal judge ruled that the removing defendant failed to provide sufficient evidence to support federal officer jurisdiction based on the government contractor defense. Ruppel v. A.O. Smith Corp., et al., No. 12-293 (S.D. Ill.).

In an April 20 decision, Judge G. Patrick Murphy of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois held that CBS Corp. could not show that the U.S. Navy prevented it from complying with its state law duty to warn of …