Court Denies Summary Judgment, Says Evidence Creates Issue of Fact

LOS ANGELES -- A California court has denied a motion for summary judgment in a benzene case, emphasizing that the plaintiff is not required to show the defendant's product was the factor in the alleged illness, but instead a contributing factor. Espinoza v. Does, No. BC322590 (Calif. Super. Ct., Los Angeles Cty.).

In the Dec. 21 order, the Los Angeles Superior Court found that opposing testimony offered by the two parties was enough to create a triable issue of material fact.

Victoria Espinoza and Iran Perez claim that Espinoza's work at Amvac Chemical Corp. required her to work with several …