Ford Awarded Summary Judgment in Utah Asbestos Exposure Action

SALT LAKE CITY — A Utah federal judge has awarded Ford Motor Co. summary judgment in an asbestos exposure action, ruling the plaintiff failed to show that her late husband’s exposure to the company’s brakes contributed to his development of mesothelioma.

In a March 23 order, Chief Judge Robert J. Shelby of the U.S. District Court for the District of Utah explained that the plaintiff needed expert opinion on causation to defeat Ford’s motion, and the expert testimony she proffered did not establish a connection between Ford products and the decedent’s disease.

John C. Riegler worked at a service station …