Del. Court Denies Forum Non Conveniens Motions in 40 Asbestos Cases

WILMINGTON, Del. -- A court overseeing Delaware's asbestos litigation has denied a motion to dismiss 40 lawsuits filed by non-residents. In re: Asbestos Litigation, No. 05C-246-JRS (Del. Super. Ct., New Castle Cty).

In the March 8 decision, Judge Joseph R. Slights III of the Delaware Superior Court for New Castle County said that the defendants failed to produce evidence that allowing the cases to proceed would constitute an overwhelming burden to the court.

Judge Slights noted that there are currently 129 out-of-state filings in the state's coordinated asbestos docket and that the current motions were filed by 12 defendants seeking …