Fla. Judge Clears Foster Wheeler in Navy Asbestos Case; Crane to Face Cronite Claims

MIAMI — Foster Wheeler cannot be held liable under admiralty or Florida law for injuries allegedly caused by exposure to replacement insulation and other asbestos-containing products that were affixed to its boilers on U.S. Navy ships, a federal judge has ruled.

In an Oct. 19 decision, Judge James I. Cohn of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida reached a similar conclusion with regard to the plaintiff’s claims of exposure to asbestos from valves manufactured by defendant Crane Co. However, Judge Cohn held that uncertainty surrounding the plaintiff’s alleged exposure to Crane’s Cranite product would require a …