Ohio Asbestos Case Law

Asbestos decisions from Ohio's courts and the federal courts there: 111 cases in our library so far. For what the law requires today, see Ohio asbestos laws; for where exposure happened, see Ohio asbestos exposure sites.

Federal district courts

U.S. District Court, Northern District of Ohio

• Bartel EX rel. Estate, Rich v. AC Prod. Liab. Tr. (2006). The court ordered that the sea-based claim be tried in admiralty under federal maritime law, the land-based claim under Montana law, and both before a single jury, so the estate's choice-of-law and jury arguments largely prevailed.
• Sequa Corporation v. Elyria Foundry Company (2006). The court held that Sequa Corporation and its co-plaintiffs could not recover indemnification from Elyria Foundry Company, but could recover contribution for settlement payments exceeding their proportionate share of liability for post-February 12, 1999 harms; the parties were to submit the contribution amount within 45 days.
• Greenburg v. Hiner (2005). The court granted the Owens Corning officers' and directors' motion to dismiss the investors' securities fraud class action as time-barred, and denied the investors' motion to modify the discovery stay as moot.
• Bartel v. John Crane, Inc. (2004). After a bench trial, the court entered a verdict for John Crane, finding the estate of Rolf Lindstrom failed to prove that John Crane gaskets and packing were a substantial factor or proximate cause of his peritoneal mesothelioma.
• Lindstrom v. AC Products Liability Trust (2003). The district court granted summary judgment to Westinghouse, Foster Wheeler, Aurora Pump, Gulf Engineering, Ingersoll Rand, Walworth, Crosby Valve, General Electric, Warren Pumps, Crane, A.W. Chesterton and Coffin Turbo Pump, and dismissed Lindstrom's claims against them with prejudice.
• La Placita Partners v. Northwestern Mut. Life Ins. (1990). The court granted summary judgment to Northwestern Mutual Life (NML) and dismissed La Placita Partners' fraud, contract and related claims over undisclosed asbestos in a purchased office/retail complex.

U.S. District Court, Southern District of Ohio

• Ridenour v. Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction (2014). The magistrate judge recommended that the defendant prison officials' motion for summary judgment be granted against prisoners Ridenour and Brown, and denied the plaintiffs' motion to exclude the prison doctor's declaration.
• City of Dayton v. AR Environmental, Inc. (2012). The court entered default judgment for the City of Dayton against A.R. Environmental, awarding $453,094.53 in compensatory damages and $906,189.06 in punitive damages, and declaring A.R. liable for indemnity and CERCLA response costs.
• Adkins v. GAF Corp. (1988). After a jury trial and a bench trial in the same proceeding, the court entered judgment for Curtis and Mary Adkins against Asbestos Corporation Ltd., Carey Canada and GAF on strict liability, and granted Celotex's directed verdict on the intentional tort claim, vacating its earlier ruling for the plaintiffs.
• Laster v. Celotex Corp. (1984). The district court denied the plaintiffs' pretrial motions asking it to take judicial notice that asbestos causes asbestosis and mesothelioma, ruling for the Celotex defendants on the point.

Federal bankruptcy courts

U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Southern District of Ohio

• In re Eagle-Picher Industries, Inc. (1995). The bankruptcy court estimated Eagle-Picher's total asbestos personal injury liability at $2,502,511,000 as of the January 7, 1991 filing date, adopting Peterson's figure for open claims and Florence's discounted figure for future claims, and denied the Unsecured Creditors' Committee's motion for information gathering.