Welding Plaintiffs Ask for 'Reduced Manganese Design' Data

CLEVELAND - Plaintiffs in the federal Welding Fume Products Liability Litigation have asked the presiding judge to compel Hobart Brothers Co. and ESAB Group Inc. to produce data and documents from a joint industry-U.S. Navy effort to reduce welding fumes. In Re: Welding Fume Products Liability Litigation, No. 1:03-CV-17000 [MDL No. 1535] (N.D. Ohio).

The plaintiffs' filed their discovery motion on April 30, citing a report in the November 2008 issue of "Welding Journal." The manufacturers responded on May 19, calling the research "irrelevant" and saying they have already provided documents.

In their motion, plaintiffs contend that defendants have previously …