U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois: Asbestos Cases

Our case-law library holds 27 asbestos decisions from the U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois (1983–2025). Each links to our summary and the full opinion.

• Kind of court: Federal district court

Decisions

• JM Manufacturing Company, Inc. v. Simmons Hanly Conroy, LLP (2025). The court granted the motion of Simmons Hanly Conroy and its attorneys and staff to dismiss J-M Manufacturing's RICO counts for failure to plead a distinct enterprise, and dismissed the state law counts without prejudice.
• Pelton v. John Crane, Inc. (2024). The court granted John Crane's summary judgment motion on the willful and wanton conduct count (Count II) but denied it on negligence and strict liability, so the Peltons may proceed on those counts and may seek punitive damages.
• Lishman v. Air & Liquid Systems Corporation (2022). The court granted Alfa Laval's motion to dismiss for lack of personal jurisdiction, ruling that it had not waived the defense, so the plaintiffs' claims against Alfa Laval were dismissed.
• Johnson v. Orton (2021). The court granted in part and denied in part Vanderbilt Minerals' Daubert motions: it excluded Dr. Arthur Frank and cumulative-exposure testimony and limited Rossol and Castleman, but allowed Longo's talc study and Dr. Emory's causation opinions.
• Johnson v. Orton (2021). The district court granted Orton's motion for summary judgment against plaintiff Deborah Johnson, finding no evidence Orton knew or should have known its vermiculite packing contained asbestos, and denied Orton's Daubert motions as moot.
• Longobardi v. Honeywell International Inc. (2020). The court granted Pamela Longobardi's motion to remand and sent the case back to Cook County Circuit Court because Honeywell removed without the consent of remaining defendant Borg-Warner.
• Johnson v. Edward Orton JR. Ceramic Foundation (2019). The district court granted Orton's motion to supplement its notice of removal and denied the Johnsons' motion to remand, finding complete diversity of citizenship.
• Ayotte v. Boeing Co. (2018). The district court denied plaintiff Ayotte's motion to remand, holding that Boeing's federal officer removal was timely, so the case stays in federal court.
• John Crane, Inc. v. Simon Greenstone Panatier Bartlett, Apc (2017). The court granted the law firm and its two name partners' motion to dismiss John Crane's RICO and fraud suit for lack of personal jurisdiction, without prejudice to refiling elsewhere, and denied John Crane's request for jurisdictional discovery.
• Neumann v. Borg-Warner Morse Tec LLC (2016). The federal district court denied Neumann's motion for reconsideration and her request to amend, and granted the six remaining defendants' motions for judgment on the pleadings, ending the case.
• Neumann v. Borg-Warner Morse Tec LLC (2016). The court granted MW Custom Papers' motion to dismiss Neumann's negligence claim, holding that the company, as a manufacturer, owed no duty to her; MW Custom Papers won and Neumann lost.
• Quirin v. Lorillard Tobacco Company (2015). The court granted summary judgment to Lorillard and Hollingsworth & Vose on the wife's loss of consortium claim because his exposure to their products ended before the marriage, but denied it to Georgia-Pacific.
• Horrie v. AW Chesterton Company (2014). The court granted the Horries' motion to remand to the Circuit Court of Cook County, rejecting Crane Company's removal based on the government contractor defense.
• Krik v. Crane Co. (2014). The court granted the defendants' motions (Crane, Owens-Illinois, Marley-Wylain and ExxonMobil) to bar plaintiff Krik's experts from offering "Any Exposure," "Each and Every Exposure" and "Single Fiber" causation opinions, and denied Mobil's other requests to bar the experts' testimony about exposure at Mobil facilities.
• Quirin v. Lorillard Tobacco Co. (2014). The district court denied Lorillard and Hollingsworth & Vose's motion for summary judgment, so the estate of Ronald Quirin's negligence claims against them go forward.
• Quirin v. Lorillard Tobacco Company (2014). The court denied Georgia-Pacific's motion to exclude plaintiff's expert Dr. Millette's testimony and work practice studies, and granted it only as to the Tyndall lighting videotapes, which plaintiff agreed not to use.
• Quirin v. Lorillard Tobacco Company (2014). The court granted in part and denied in part both Daubert motions: it barred defense experts from relying on the Killian and Laboratory of Industrial Hygiene tests, allowed reliance on the Armour tests, required a hearing for the Kendall and Fullam tests, and let plaintiff's expert Pauly testify about the 1950s testing but not endorse the Millette and Longo studies.
• Quirin v. Lorillard Tobacco Company (2014). The court denied Georgia-Pacific's motion to exclude plaintiff's expert testimony and argument that each and every exposure to asbestos caused Mr. Quirin's mesothelioma (as moot for Dr. Brody), so the plaintiff estate prevailed on the motion.
• Quirin v. Lorillard Tobacco Company (2014). The district court denied Lorillard and Hollingsworth & Vose's motions to bar the expert reports and testimony of Dr. Millette and Dr. Brodkin, so the plaintiff's expert evidence was admitted.
• Quirin v. Lorillard Tobacco Company (2014). The district court denied Crane Co.'s motion for summary judgment, so the estate of Ronald Quirin may proceed with its negligence claims against Crane Co., except that Crane Co. had no duty to warn about insulation, pipe covering or cement it did not supply.
• Smith v. AW Chesterton Company (2014). The court denied the plaintiffs' motion to remand, so Crane Co.'s federal officer removal stood and the case stayed in federal court.
• Smith v. Crane Co. (2014). The court granted Crane Co.'s and Ingersoll-Rand's motion to dismiss Diane Smith's loss of consortium claim (Count III), because she married Kenneth after his alleged asbestos exposure.
• Totten v. Crane Co. (2014). The district court denied William Totten's motions to remand to state court and to strike the notice of removal, holding that Crane Co. properly removed the case under the federal officer removal statute.
• Stanley v. Ameren Illinois Co. (2013). The court granted summary judgment to all four defendants (Ameren, MidAmerican, EECI and Sargent & Lundy) and against plaintiff Christine Stanley, on no-duty grounds for MidAmerican and EECI and the statute of repose for Ameren and Sargent & Lundy.
• Tkk USA Inc. v. Safety National Casualty Corporation (2011). The court granted Thermos's motion for summary judgment, holding Safety National must reimburse Thermos's defense costs in the Perkins lawsuit, denied Safety National's cross-motion, and denied Thermos's motion for attorney fees under Section 155.
• Krull v. Celotex Corp. (1985). The court denied Celotex's motion for partial summary judgment on punitive damages, holding that Celotex, as the surviving corporation in a merger, assumed all of Panacon's liabilities, so Krull's estate could pursue punitive damages.
• In re Unr Industries, Inc. (1983). The district court denied the debtors' (UNR Industries and affiliates) application to appoint a legal representative for unknown future asbestos claimants, and also denied Peter John Robinson's motion to intervene.