N.J. Court Retains Jurisdiction over Asbestos Naval Exposure Suit, Rejects Challenges to Defense Removal Evidence

TRENTON, N.J. ¬¬– A New Jersey federal court has rejected plaintiff efforts to remand an asbestos suit, saying that it does not need to determine the credibility of the defendants’ removal evidence “at this procedural juncture.”

In the Aug. 29 opinion, the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey wrote that instead it is only required to analyze the sufficiency of the facts which could establish a complete defense at trial.

The plaintiffs contended in their lawsuit that Arthur Hammell was exposed to asbestos during various time periods between 1950 and the 1970s, according to the order. Specifically, …