Asbestos MDL Court Awards Summary Judgment to Union Carbide, Georgia-Pacific, Lufkin Industries

PHILADELPHIA –– The court overseeing the national asbestos coordinated docket has awarded summary judgment to Union Carbide, Lufkin Industries (NASDAQ:LUFK) and Georgia-Pacific, after determining that “no reasonable jury” could find that the decedent was exposed to the defendant’s products with frequency and regularity.

The three defendants had all moved for summary judgment challenging product identification and the claims under South Carolina’s door-closing statute. In separate orders released Dec. 2, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania addressed each motion in turn.

The plaintiffs asserted the claims on behalf of James Carawan, who was allegedly exposed to asbestos …