U.S. Steel Asks Philadelphia Court to Apply Florida Law to Benzene Claims

PHILADELPHIA –– A benzene defendant involved in a Philadelphia lawsuit has asked the court to apply Florida law to the claims, arguing that in more than 50 years, the plaintiff only spent three or four months in Philadelphia.

In its April 1 motion, U.S. Steel Corp., asked the Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas for Philadelphia County to apply Florida substantive law to the determination of pre-trial motions and the trial of the lawsuit.

According to the plaintiffs’ complaint, filed in Sept. 2011, Robert Lukatz was exposed to benzene-containing products while working as a maintenance man and operator at …