General Refractories Sues Excess Insurers, Says Asbestos Exclusions Are Invalid

PHILADELPHIA - An asbestos defendant named in tens of thousands of personal injury claims has sued its excess insurers, claiming provisions contained in the policies excluding coverage for the claims are invalid. General Refractories Company v. First State Insurance Co., et al., No. 2:2004cv03509 (E.D. Pa.).

According to a lawsuit filed recently in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, General Refractories Company contends that the excess and umbrella insurers cannot assert that the policies' asbestos exclusions are valid because they are ambiguous and were never approved by Pennsylvania's Insurance Commission.

General Refractories claims that since the …