Asbestos Exposure Lawsuit Remanded to Wash. State Court

SEATTLE –– A Washington federal judge has remanded an asbestos case to state court, ruling that defendant Foster Wheeler Energy Corp.’s removal notice was premature because “a key allegation is missing” as to whether the decedent ever worked on, and his exposure occurred, on a military vessel.

In a Dec. 3 order, Judge Lauren King of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington concluded that Foster Wheeler failed to meet its burden of showing that removal was appropriate.

“Specifically, Foster Wheeler does not assert that [decedent Richard Monlux] worked on a military vessel, nor does it allege …