Respirator Defendant Says Severance, Jurisdictional Issue 'Inextricably Intertwined'

LONDON, Ky. - A respirator defendant named in a Kentucky silica case now pending in federal court is urging a district judge to a rule on the defendant's motion to sever even though the court has yet to decide whether it has jurisdiction over the case. Adams, et al. v. Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company, et al., No. 04-521 (E.D. Ky.).

In a response to plaintiffs' motion to hold a ruling on the motion to sever in abeyance until jurisdiction has been established, American Optical Corp. claims that a decision should not be delayed because the question of whether the …