John Crane Inc. Denied Summary Judgment on Contractor Defense in Mass. Federal Asbestos Case

BOSTON — A Massachusetts federal judge has denied John Crane Inc. summary judgment in an asbestos exposure case, ruling is a question of fact as to whether the government contractor defense shields it from liability because it is unclear whether the U.S. Navy prohibited warning labels for asbestos.

On Oct. 21, Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton of the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts also found a question of fact as to whether the Navy required asbestos in the gaskets and packing at issue.

Arnold Pritt, 79, served in the U.S. Navy aboard the USS Purdy as a machinist …