Hawaii Federal Court Adopts Recommendation, Remands Asbestos Jones Act Claims

HONOLULU –– A Hawaiian federal court has adopted a magistrate judge’s recommendation in which he determined that a Jones Act asbestos case should be remanded to state court.

In the July 10 opinion, the U.S. District Court for the District of Hawaii rejected defense assertions that amendments to federal removal statutes allowed for removal of Jones Act claims.

Mobil Shipping and Transportation Co. objected to a recommendation in which Magistrate Judge Richard Puglisi granted the plaintiffs’ motion to remand.

The plaintiffs contended in their lawsuit that Jurgen Unterberg was exposed to asbestos-containing products while working on ships “floating on navigable …