Defendant Sues Insurers for Coverage of Texas, North Dakota Asbestos Claims

SAN FRANCISCO - A defendant named in numerous asbestos-related lawsuits pending in Texas and North Dakota has sued several of its insurers, claiming they have breached their duty to defend and indemnify the company against the personal injury claims. U.S. Filter/Whittier, Inc. v. Allstate Insurance Co., et al., No. 04-431550 (Calif. Super. Ct., San Francisco Cty.).

The lawsuit, filed May 18 in San Francisco Superior Court, alleges that primary and excess policies issued to Whittier, Inc., a division of U.S. Filter Corporation, between 1971 and 1985 obligated the insurers to defend and indemnify the company against the underlying asbestos claims.