Philadelphia Court Denies Defense Efforts to Dismiss Benzene Case on Forum Grounds

PHILADELPHIA –– A Pennsylvania court has denied a defense motion to dismiss a benzene case on forum non conveniens grounds, rejecting the defendants’ contention that the case belongs in New York.

In a one-page order issued Aug. 7, the Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas for Philadelphia County denied the motion, brought by U.S. Steel Corp., Sunoco Inc., and Radiator Specialty Co., with prejudice.

David Butler and his wife, Teri Rhodes, filed the lawsuit after David Butler developed Myelodysplastic Syndrome and Acute Myelogenous Leukemia. The illnesses were caused, Butler contended, by exposure to benzene-containing products he worked with while employed …