Judge Says Mask Maker Can't Sue St. Paul for Coverage of Wis. Silica Claims

MILWAUKEE - A federal judge has dismissed a respirator company's claim that it is owed coverage under a decades-old insurance policy for the recent settlement of a Wisconsin silica claim and any future silica lawsuits brought against the company. Essilor Laboratories of America Inc. v. St. Paul Fire and Marine Insurance Co., No. 08-C-296 (E.D. Wis.).

Judge William C. Griesback of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin ruled Jan. 20 that because silica defendant Essilor Laboratories of America has not yet been ordered to pay anything as a result of the settlement, it doesn't have standing …