Naval Worker’s Mesothelioma Claim Against CBS Belongs in Federal Court, 7th Circuit Rules

CHICAGO — A federal appeals panel has ruled that a manufacturer of asbestos-containing turbines asserted a viable federal defense to allegations that it failed to warn a former naval worker of dangers associated with the product and that the case should be litigated in federal court.

Reversing a trial court decision that sent the case back to the state court where it was originally filed, the 7th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals said Nov. 30 that defendant CBS Corp. (NYSE:CBS) adequately pled that it was working under the direction of the U.S. Navy when the company supplied the turbines that …