Calif. Court Refuses to Reverse Award of Summary Judgment to CBS in Asbestos Case

SAN FRANCISCO –– A California appellate court has affirmed an award of summary judgment to an asbestos defendant, ruling that the mere presence at a site where asbestos-containing products are present is not sufficient to legally establish significant exposure.

In the Sept. 9 opinion, the California First District Court of Appeal cited “fundamental shortcomings” in the pleadings, concluding that the plaintiffs “did not meet [their] burden of producing competent and admissible evidence raising a triable issue of material fact on exposure and causation.”

The plaintiffs asserted in her complaint that James Shiffer was exposed to asbestos-containing insulation while working at …