'Peripheral' Defendant Can't be Held Liable for Silica Injury, Judge Rules

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. - A company that transports silica for use in industrial settings is considered 'peripheral' to the chain of distribution and cannot be held liable for injuries allegedly caused by exposure to the sand product, a federal judge has ruled. Bergman v. U.S. Silica, et al., No. 06-00356 (S.D. Ill.).

In an Oct. 17 decision, Judge David R. Herndon dismissed defendant Lotz Trucking from a silica case removed recently to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois, determining that the remote function Lotz played in the distribution of a U.S. Silica product to a …