Del. Court Denies Summary Judgment for Linotype Printer Manufacturer in Asbestos Case

WILMINGTON, Del. –– A Delaware court has denied efforts to obtain summary judgment from the manufacturer of a Linotype printing machine, concluding that the plaintiff had established to asbestos in the defendant’s products at a standard greater than de minimis exposure.

In the Dec. 23 opinion, the Delaware Superior Court did award the defendant summary judgment as to the plaintiffs’ punitive damages claim, noting that the plaintiffs had failed to challenge that portion of the defendant’s motion.

The claims were asserted on behalf of Thomas J. Pearsons, who worked in the printing shop of the Vermont Standard, the state’s …