La. Court Dismisses Strict Liability, Fraud Claims in Benzene Case Against Texaco

NEW ORLEANS –– A Louisiana federal court has dismissed strict liability and fraud claims asserted against executive officers of Texaco Downstream Properties Inc., after finding that the benzene plaintiffs had failed to present enough evidence to support the claims.

In the Oct. 25 ruling, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana granted the defendant’s motion for partial summary judgment as to those claims, in addition to granting an unopposed motion to dismiss any claims relating to welding fume or TERM exposure.

In the underlying complaint, the plaintiffs contend that Chris Cologne developed non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma after being …