La. Federal Judge Retains Jurisdiction Over Asbestos Plaintiff’s State Law Claims

NEW ORLEANS — A Louisiana federal judge has refused to remand an asbestos plaintiff’s state law claims, ruling they are “sufficiently intertwined” with an insurer’s third-party federal claim because they involve a single wrong — the plaintiff’s exposure to asbestos during his employment.

In a Jan. 5 order, Judge Ivan L.R. Lemelle of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana added that discovery related to the plaintiff’s occupational exposure is needed to resolve both the direct and third-party claims.

Lennard Stansbury, who has mesothelioma, alleges he was exposed to asbestos while working at various industrial and marine …