Rhode Island Judge Refuses to Return Navy Asbestos Case to State Court

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Defendants who removed a Navy worker’s asbestos case to federal court in Rhode Island submitted enough evidence to show they may have a colorable federal defense to the claims and that they should remain there, a U.S. District Court magistrate judge has ruled.

Denying a plaintiff’s motion to send the case back to the state court where it was originally filed, Judge Lincoln D. Almond ruled Nov. 20 that because testimony indicated that the defendants supplied the Navy with asbestos-containing products under strict government specifications, the federal court in Rhode Island has jurisdiction over the claims.

Shirley …