Ore. Court Reverses Summary Judgment Award for Asbestos Defendant, Says Questions of Fact Exist as to Transferred Liabilities

PORTLAND, Ore. –– An Oregon appellate court has reversed an award of summary judgment to an asbestos defendant, saying that the evidence on the record does not establish that all reasonable factfinders would find that the defendant transferred its asbestos-related liabilities to a subsidiary company.

In the June 7 opinion, the Oregon Court of Appeals concluded that while the reorganization statement suggested that fixed prior debts were transferred, it does not address the type of tort liability involved in the underlying case.

The plaintiffs asserted the claims on behalf of Clifton J. Williams Sr., contending that the decedent’s work at …