Court to Decide Whether Brief In-State Exposure Justifies Miss. Suit

ABERDEEN, Miss. - A state court judge will soon hear argument on whether a silica plaintiff has sufficient contacts with Mississippi to justify filing a lawsuit there when defendants say his sandblasting experience in the state accounted for just .002 percent of his total exposure. Riggle v. Pulmosan Safety Equipment Co., et al., No. CV-05-230 (Miss. Cir. Ct., Monroe Cty.).

An April 23 hearing was expected to get underway before a circuit court judge in Monroe County, where Dennis Riggle has sued numerous defendants alleging injury caused by exposure to silica dust. Riggle, a Tennessee resident, alleges that he spent …