N.J. Court Allows Claims to Proceed Against BASF and its Former Employees, Attorneys for Allegedly Misrepresenting Amount of Asbestos in Talc

NEWARK, N.J. –– A New Jersey federal court has denied motions to dismiss a class action lawsuit accusing BASF’s successor, its employees, and attorneys of conspiring to misrepresent the amount of asbestos in its talc, saying in part that the amended complaint had sufficiently pled claims for fraud, fraudulent concealment and civil conspiracy.

In the April 5 opinion, the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey stressed that, at this stage in the litigation, it must accept the plaintiffs’ allegations as factual and that the defendants will have an opportunity to contest the truth of those accusations.