Cooley Defendants Move for Summary Judgment on Fraud, Punitives

CLEVELAND - Welding consumable defendants in an upcoming trial in the federal multidistrict litigation have asked the court to award them summary judgment on plaintiff's fraud and punitive damages claims. <i.Cooley v. Lincoln Electric Co., et al. (1:05-CV-17734 [MDL No. 1535] (N.D. Ohio).

Defendants filed their motions on July 15, contending that both claims fail as a matter of law.

Plaintiff Curtis Cooley is a long-time Iowa welder who claims parkinson-like symptoms from exposure to welding fumes from various manufacturers.

He claims, among other things, that welding product manufacturers engaged in fraud by failing to disclose material facts about …