High Court Rejects Manufacturers’ Bare-Metal Defense in Maritime Asbestos Case

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Supreme Court has held that, under maritime law, manufacturers have a duty to warn of the potential dangers of their products if asbestos-containing materials were later added to the products by third parties.

In a majority opinion written by Justice Brett Kavanaugh, the high court held on March 19 that a duty to warn is imposed where the product requires incorporation of a part and the manufacturer knows, or has reason to know, that the integrated product is likely to be dangerous for its intended uses.

The claims were brought on behalf of Kenneth McAfee …