Calif. Appellate Court Reaffirms Position on Applicability of Component Parts Doctrine to Silica Lawsuit

LOS ANGELES –– A California appellate court has affirmed its position that two silica defendants were not entitled to summary judgment, explaining that recent guidance from the state’s highest court supports its prior position that the component parts doctrine does not bar claims in which the plaintiff alleged that the silica sand itself was harmful.

In the Feb. 27 opinion, the California Second Appellate District Court of Appeal, Division One, said that the plaintiffs’ claims did not require the defendants to scrutinize other manufacturer’s products, but only scrutinize their own products and warn about scientifically known dangers of using those …