Wife of Worker Can't Recover for Exposure as a 'Bystander' Under Product Liability Act

INDIANAPOLIS - A woman who claimed she suffered injuries after being exposed to asbestos her husband brought home on his work clothes cannot pursue common law claims as a "bystander" under her state's product liability act, an Indiana appeals court has ruled. Stegemoller v. ACandS, No. 49A02-0006-CV-390 (Ind. Ct. App., 2nd Dist.).

The Second District Indiana Court of Appeals issued its ruling May 29, finding that the Marion Superior Court did not err in interpreting the Act when it dismissed Ramona Stegemoller's claims for asbestos-related colon cancer, pulmonary fibrosis and pleural thickening.

Stegemoller and her husband, Lee, sued 34 defendants …