Family of Meso Victim May Present Evidence on Predecessor's Assumption of Duty

SHREVEPORT, La. - The surviving family of a former mill worker who died from mesothelioma may allege that a prior owner of the facility where he worked had an assumed duty to protect workers from injurious exposure to asbestos there, a state appeals court has ruled. Graves v. Riverwood International Corp., et al., No. 38842-CA (La. Ct. App., 2nd Cir.).

In an opinion reversing, in part, an award of summary judgment to the predecessor company, the Second Circuit Louisiana Court of Appeal held that a trial court erred when it precluded the plaintiffs from presenting evidence related to the company's …