Parties Exchange Briefing on Benzene Content in ExxonMobil Product

NEW ORLEANS -- Parties in a benzene case have exchanged briefing on the benzene content of the defendant's product, which the plaintiff has called a "hotly contested issue." Wagoner, et al. v. ExxonMobil Corp., et al., No. 09-07257 (E.D. La.).

In a July 15 motion to exclude filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, the plaintiffs claim that defendant ExxonMobil should not be permitted to present a large portion of their documents because they constitute hearsay.

Wagoner was also exposed to benzene-containing materials when he worked as mechanic in the 1970s, at which time he …