9th Circuit Affirms Judgment for Lockheed, Says Take-Home Exposure Risks Not Foreseeable

SEATTLE –– The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit has upheld an award of summary judgment to Lockheed Shipbuilding Co. in a secondary asbestos exposure case, concluding that the dangers of take-home exposure were not known during the alleged time of exposure.

In the Sept. 10 order, the appellate court found the plaintiffs failed to establish that the risk of take-home exposure was foreseeable.

Plaintiff Loretta Hoyt contends that she was exposed to asbestos through her father and ex-husband, who both worked at Puget Sound Bridge and Dry Dock. As a result of these take-home exposures, …