Court: Agreement Bars Claims but Post-Release Exposure Claims Allowed

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- A Tennessee appellate court has reversed denial of summary judgment to several asbestos defendants, but opined that a prior settlement agreement does not bar claims arising from exposure that may have occurred after the settlement agreements were entered. Woody v. A.W. Chesterton Co., et al., No. 06CI520 (Tenn. Ct. App.).

In the March 13 order, the Tennessee Court of Appeals found that a prior release barred any future conditions, including mesothelioma, that were discovered after the signing of the release.

Wayne Woody and his wife, Rebecca, had filed a previous action in 1979 against 25 defendants, claiming …