Amici Support Defendant's Challenge to Premises Liability Decision

SAN FRANCISCO -- An asbestos defendant's petition for review in an premises owner liability dispute has received backing from an amici group that claimed that if the California Supreme Court declined review, countless diverse and conflicting decisions from lower courts would ensue. Honer v. Ford Motor Co., No. S158472 (Calif. Sup. Ct.).

In the Nov. 26 brief, the group urged the state's high court to provide guidance on the issue of whether a premises owner owes a duty to a plaintiff alleging secondhand asbestos exposure.

In October 2007, the Second Appellate District Court reversed a summary judgment award for two …