Calif. Appellate Court Reverses Trial Court Order Denying Motion to Dismiss Asbestos Case on Jurisdiction Grounds

LOS ANGELES –– A California appellate court has reversed a trial court order denying BNSF Railway Co.’s motion to dismiss for lack of jurisdiction, finding the defendant did not, in fact, maintain systematic and continuous contacts with the state.

In the March 27 order, the California Second District Court of Appeal held that the defendant’s business transactions in California were a “relatively small portion of its overall operations.”

The plaintiffs alleged that Peter J. Kralovetz was exposed to asbestos-containing products while working at a dismantling facility and roundhouse owned by BNSF Railway Co.’s predecessor. Kralovetz developed malignant pleural mesothelioma as …