Ill. Court Awards Manufacturer of Wood Finishing Products Summary Judgment in Trace Benzene Case

CHICAGO –– An Illinois court has awarded summary judgment to a manufacturer of wood refinishing products, rejecting the plaintiffs’ claims that trace amounts of benzene in the defendant’s aerosols and liquids led the decedent to develop acute myeloid leukemia.

In a one-page order issued April 18, the Illinois Circuit Court for Cook County granted RPM Wood Finishes Group’s motion for summary judgment after hearing oral arguments on the matter earlier in the day. Since RPM was the lone remaining defendant in the case –– which had been set for a May trial –– the lawsuit was dismissed with prejudice, …