Judge Says GE Removal of Asbestos Cases Based on Naval Exposures Was Timely

GREENBELT, Md. — A judge in Maryland has ruled that three asbestos cases filed against General Electric (NYSE:GE) can stay in federal court even though, in two of the cases, the defendant waited four years to remove them.

U.S. District Judge George L. Russell III ruled Oct. 5 that GE’s removal of the cases from Baltimore City Circuit Court was timely because the defendant wasn’t made aware of the plaintiffs’ alleged U.S. Naval exposures until recently, when it received answers to interrogatories that named the specific ships upon which the alleged exposures occurred.

Two of the complaints were filed in …