Del. Court Says U.S. Naval Asbestos Exposure Claims Are Governed by Maritime Law

WILMINGTON, Del. –– Maritime law has been ruled the governing law in a U.S. Naval exposure case after a Delaware federal court found that the allegedly defective production of asbestos-containing products had a “substantial relationship to maritime activity.”

In the June 4 order, the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware declined the plaintiffs’ efforts to apply Virginia law to the claims, opining that the maritime law test was met regardless of whether the exposure occurred at sea or in shipyards.

Arthur Dumas alleged that during his 20-year service in the U.S. Navy, he was exposed to asbestos-containing products. …