Court Rejects Defense Motion to Change Venue in Foundry Workers' Case

LOS ANGELES - A California court has denied a defense motion to change venue based on alleged inconvenience of witnesses, stating that the defendants' sole argument of geographic inconvenience is insufficient to warrant a transfer. Beltran v. J.R. Simplot Co., et al., No. BC356257 (Calif. Super. Ct., Los Angeles Cty.).

The Los Angeles County Superior Court in a Feb. 1 order said the only declaration submitted by the defendants in support of the motion was regarding the distance between Los Angeles and Bakersfield, Kern County (Calif.), the town in which the foundry where each plaintiff was allegedly exposed to silica …