N.Y. Court Awards Summary Judgment to Union Carbide; Calls Asbestos Claims ‘Speculative’

NEW YORK –– A New York trial court has dismissed asbestos claims asserted against Union Carbide, saying that evidence used by the plaintiffs to prove that the defendant’s phenolic molding compounds were in electrical products used by the plaintiff was “speculative.”

The New York Supreme Court for New York County issued the order on Aug. 13 in a case that was recently slotted into a second consolidated trial grouping of 15 cases. The first grouping, which included five of the 15 cases, resulted in a $190 million verdict.

Plaintiffs John and Carol Cisler contend that John’s mesothelioma was caused by …