Mississippi High Court Finds Joinder, Venue Appropriate, Remands Asbestos Case

JACKSON, Miss. - The widow of a Tennessee railroad machinist who died of lung cancer allegedly caused by asbestos exposure can remain a plaintiff in a lawsuit filed in Mississippi by several of his co-workers, even though he never lived or worked there, a Mississippi court has ruled. Illinois Central Railroad Co. v. Travis, et al., No. 2000-IA-01074-SCT (Miss. Sup. Ct.).

In its Feb. 28 decision affirming a decision to deny motions to dismiss the widow's claim, the Mississippi Supreme Court said that venue and joinder were proper under state law because the defendant railroad had unquestionable ties to Mississippi …