Judge Rejects Asbestos Bankruptcy Claim for Insulator Who Died in 1966

BUFFALO, N.Y. –– A New York judge has ruled that the daughter of a former insulation mason who died more than 50 years ago is not entitled to compensation from a bankruptcy trust created to pay asbestos claims against National Gypsum Co.

In an Aug. 16 decision, Judge Charles J. Siragusa of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York ruled that the personal injury and wrongful death claims are barred by collateral estoppel and the statute of limitations, which began running decades before the decedent’s family says it first learned of their possible asbestos claims.