Calif. Court Affirms Summary Judgment for Asbestos Defendants, Says Plaintiff Established Exposure was Possible, Not Probable

SAN FRANCISCO –– A California appellate court has affirmed awards of summary judgment to a number of asbestos defendants, concluding in part that the plaintiff’s interrogatory responses did not identify evidence that would demonstrate he was probably exposed to asbestos from those defendants’ products.

In the Feb. 2 ruling, the California 1st District Court of Appeal wrote that the plaintiff’s evidence supported an inference that the events leading to exposure were possible, but not probable.

Plaintiff Billy S. Johnson filed the complaint, contending that he was exposed to asbestos fibers brought home on the work clothing of his father, a …