Oakfabco May Be Held Liable for Kewanee Boiler Claims, Court Rules

SAN FRANCISCO - A successor corporation that purchased a boiler manufacturer in the 1970s may be held liable for an insulator's injuries allegedly caused by exposure to asbestos in its predecessor's product that occurred in 1962, a California appeals court ruled recently. Purcell, et al. v. Oakfabco, Inc., No. A100564 (Calif. Ct. App., First Dist.).

In a decision issued March 26, California's First District Court of Appeal ruled that a trial court erred when it found that Oakfabco did not have successor liability for claims stemming from exposure to products manufactured by predecessor Kewanee Boiler Company.

Kewanee, which was owned …