La. Federal Court Grants Motion for Summary Judgment, Says Claims Preempted by LHWCA

NEW ORLEANS –– A Louisiana federal court has granted a motion for summary judgment in an asbestos exposure lawsuit, concluding that the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act preempts the plaintiff’s state-law claims.

In the April 25 order, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana concluded that both the plaintiff’s occupational exposure claim and his take-home exposure claim were preempted by the LHWCA.

The underlying case was brought by Robert Stephen Sentilles, who contends that his mesothelioma was caused by exposure to asbestos he encountered while working as a yard clerk in the insulation shop at Avondale’s …