R.I. Court: Plaintiff's Contact with Other States Doesn't Affect Choice of Law

PROVIDENCE, R.I. - A Rhode Island court has denied a defendant's motion to apply Tennessee law to a Rhode Island asbestos case, stating that Rhode Island is an appropriate forum and has an interest in the resolution of the case because asbestos-related litigation is a matter of national importance and cannot be considered a local issue. Barger, et al. v. Pratt & Whitney, et al., No. PC 05-5370 (R.I. Super. Ct., Providence Cty.).

In an Oct. 19 decision, Associate Justice Alice Bridget Gibney of the Providence County Superior Court denied aircraft manufacturer Pratt & Whitney's motion for summary judgment. In …