Crane Co. Can Assert Government Contractor Defense in Rhode Island Asbestos Suit, Judge Says

PROVIDENCE, R.I. –– Asbestos defendant Crane Co. will be permitted to assert the government contractor defense at a trial slated to begin this fall, after a Rhode Island trial court found that the defendant had presented enough evidence to support its reliance on the defense.

In the Aug. 22 ruling, the Rhode Island Superior Court denied the plaintiffs’ motion for summary judgment, opining in part that the defendant had raise a question of fact as to whether the U.S. Navy approved specifications for the defendant’s valves with respect to design defect and failure-to-warn claims.

The plaintiffs filed the motion for …