Wis. Court Awards Summary Judgment to Boiler Defendant; Says Company Can’t Be Held Liable for Products it Didn’t Manufacture

MADISON, Wis. –– A Wisconsin court has awarded summary judgment to a boiler defendant, saying that the company’s duty to warn was limited to the risks associated with its products and it, therefore, could not be held liable for asbestos insulation that was later affixed to its product.

In the March 10 opinion, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin ruled that there was no evidence that American Standard participated or specified the use of asbestos-containing materials into the boiler.

“To hold defendant liable for American Standard’s failure to warn about the risks associated with third-party …