Wash. High Court Reverses Summary Judgment for 3 Respirator Mask Defendants

OYMPIA, Wash. –– The Washington Supreme Court has reversed summary judgment for several respirator mask defendants, rejecting the application of Simonetta and Braaten to the claims and opining that it is important that the two cases not be “overread to result in new rules for product manufacturers.” Macias, et al. v. Saberhagen Holdings Inc., et al., No. 85535-8 (Wash. Sup. Ct).

In the Aug. 9 opinion, the high court held that it did not matter that the respirator mask defendants were not in the chain of distribution of the asbestos-containing products since they were in the chain of distribution of …