Sunoco, U.S. Steel, Railroad Defendants File Motions to Dismiss Benzene Complaint

PHILADELPHIA –– A number of benzene defendants named in a Pennsylvania benzene case have moved for summary judgment, challenging a number of aspects of the plaintiffs’ claims, including expert reports, preemption and product identification.

In a series of Jan. 6 motions filed in the Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas for Philadelphia County, several defendants contend that the lone expert report proffered by the plaintiff has not established that benzene is a known human carcinogen capable of causing the underlying illness at issue in the case, Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL).

The plaintiffs filed the claims on behalf of Richard O’Lena, who …