Washington Asbestos Case Law

Asbestos decisions from Washington's courts and the federal courts there: 221 cases in our library so far. For what the law requires today, see Washington asbestos laws; for where exposure happened, see Washington asbestos exposure sites.

Federal district courts

U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Washington

• Strong v. Honeywell International, Inc. (2021). The court granted the plaintiff's motion for a protective order barring Honeywell from obtaining Terry Strong's medical records and death certificate, and denied Honeywell's motion to exclude his product identification testimony and its request for a competency hearing.
• Strong v. Honeywell International, Inc. (2021). The court denied Honeywell's motion for a protective order to cap plaintiff Kristina Strong's deposition-testimony designations at 15 transcripts, leaving Honeywell to oppose the designations on their merits.
• Strong v. Honeywell International, Inc. (2021). The court granted Honeywell partial summary judgment on the conspiracy and breach of warranty claims, dismissing them with prejudice because Plaintiff Strong did not respond; the failure-to-warn portion of the motion remained pending.

U.S. District Court, Western District of Washington

• Johnson v. Air & Liquid Systems Corporation (2025). The district court denied plaintiff Shirley Johnson's motion for relief from the deadline to file her motion to exclude defense experts, finding she was not diligent, so the defendants prevailed on this motion.
• Johnson v. Air & Liquid Systems Corporation (2024). The court denied Johnson's motion to remand and her fee request, holding that defendant PSCC's removal to federal court was timely, and it fined PSCC $250 for violating the court's order on footnote citations.
• Monlux v. 3M Company (2024). The district court granted Elaine Monlux's motion to remand and sent the case back to King County Superior Court, ruling that Foster Wheeler had not shown that federal officer removal was proper.
• Perkins v. United States (2024). After a bench trial, the court entered judgment for the United States and against the plaintiff, finding she did not prove that actionable Navy conduct caused Geraldine Perkins's mesothelioma.
• Perkins v. United States (2024). The court denied the estate's motion to pre-admit exhibits and denied both sides' motions in limine, mostly as premature and without prejudice to renewal at the bench trial, and ruled generally on deposition designations; it left specific objections to a later order.
• Perkins v. United States (2024). The district court denied without prejudice the United States' motion to dismiss under the FTCA discretionary function exception and denied its motion for summary judgment, leaving the plaintiff's negligence claim for bench trial.
• Perkins v. United States (2024). The court denied the United States' motion to exclude plaintiff's three experts and denied without prejudice its motion to strike supplemental expert disclosures, so plaintiff won both motions for now.
• Perkins v. United States (2024). The court granted the United States' motion to amend the protective order so that unreleased Department of Defense technical information produced in discovery is treated as confidential, over the plaintiff's opposition.
• Deem v. Air & Liquid Systems Corporation (2023). On remand from the Ninth Circuit, the court granted summary judgment to John Crane, Crosby Valve and William Powell on causation, dismissing the widow's maritime wrongful death claims with prejudice, and denied the defendants' limitations-based motions to dismiss.
• Perkins v. United States (2023). The court granted in part and denied in part the United States' partial motion to dismiss: claims before March 1970, and claims over respirators, laundry service, shower facilities and failure to warn, were dismissed, while the claim over failure to provide protective clothing survived.
• Welch v. Crane Co. (2023). The court denied the plaintiff's motion to exclude Crane's three expert witnesses, ruling their reports met Rule 26 and limiting their testimony to the opinions in their disclosed reports.
• Welch v. Crane Co. (2023). The court granted Velan Valve Corp.'s motion for summary judgment because Plaintiff showed no evidence placing Mr. Welch near Velan equipment, and denied Crane Co.'s motion because a genuine factual dispute remained over his exposure to Crane valves.
• Cockrum v. CH Murphy/clark-Ullman, Inc. (2022). The court granted Cockrum's motion to remand to King County Superior Court, holding that Howmet failed to show North Coast was fraudulently joined, and awarded Cockrum attorney's fees and costs against Howmet.
• United States Fidelity & Guaranty v. Ulbricht (2022). The court granted in part and denied in part both USF&G's and the Ulbricht/PM Northwest defendants' summary judgment motions, holding USF&G breached its duty to defend and acted in bad faith and is estopped from denying coverage for the unsatisfied covenant judgment, while denying realignment and partly granting sealing.
• Behrmann v. Abb, Inc. (2021). The district court granted Propulsion Controls Engineering's motion for summary judgment and dismissed it from the case, ruling against plaintiff Ronald Behrmann.
• Behrmann v. Abb, Inc. (2021). The court granted Aurora Pump Company's summary judgment motion, dismissing it from the case, and denied Aurora's motion to strike the plaintiff's maritime expert's report; Behrmann lost against Aurora.
• Behrmann v. Abb, Inc. (2021). The district court denied Meriden Molded Plastic's motion for summary judgment without prejudice under Rule 56(d), so plaintiff Behrmann can take more discovery, even though it found his current exposure evidence insufficient.
• Kraemer v. Lone Star Industries (2021). The court granted the Kraemers' motion to remand to King County Superior Court because Lone Star failed to show a colorable military contractor defense for federal officer removal, and awarded the Kraemers $1,000 in fees and costs.
• United States Fidelity and Guaranty v. Ulbricht (2021). The court granted in part and denied in part the Ulbrichts' and PM Northwest's motion to strike USF&G's claims-handling expert Allan Windt, striking his opinions on the reasonableness of USF&G's conduct, and denied USF&G's motion to exclude the Ulbrichts' expert Charles Miller.
• Welch v. Air & Liquid Systems Corporation (2021). The district court granted the Welches' motion to remand to King County Superior Court because Velan Valve Corp.'s removal came after the plaintiffs had moved to dismiss Velan, and awarded the plaintiffs attorneys' fees and costs against Velan.
• Wineland v. Air & Liquid Systems Corp. (2021). The court granted Crane Co.'s motion for summary judgment, dismissing the Winelands' negligence and strict liability claims, and denied the plaintiffs' motion on Crane Co.'s affirmative defenses as moot.
• Wineland v. Air & Liquid Systems Corp. (2021). The court granted summary judgment to Puget Sound Commerce Center (formerly Todd Shipyards) on the negligence and strict liability claims, ruling against the Wineland plaintiffs.
• Wineland v. Air & Liquid Systems Corporation (2021). The court granted Carrier Corporation's motion for summary judgment, dismissing the plaintiffs' claims because they did not show a triable issue on whether exposure to Carrier products substantially contributed to Mr. Wineland's mesothelioma.
• Wineland v. Air & Liquid Systems Corporation (2021). The court granted Imo Industries' motion for summary judgment, dismissing the plaintiffs' claims against it because they lacked evidence that exposure to Imo products was a substantial contributing factor in Mr. Wineland's mesothelioma and death.
• Wineland v. Air & Liquid Systems Corporation (2021). The district court granted Warren Pumps, LLC's motion for summary judgment, dismissing the claims of Wineland's estate and wife because they lacked evidence that Warren Pumps products were a substantial contributing cause of his mesothelioma.
• Wineland v. Air & Liquid Systems Corporation (2021). The district court granted Cleaver-Brooks, Inc.'s renewed motion for summary judgment and dismissed the plaintiffs' claims, and denied the plaintiffs' motion on Cleaver-Brooks's affirmative defenses as moot.
• Wineland v. Air & Liquid Systems Corporation (2021). The court granted The William Powell Company's motion for summary judgment, dismissing the plaintiffs' claims against Powell, because they lacked evidence that exposure to Powell's products substantially contributed to Mr. Wineland's mesothelioma; the plaintiffs' own motion on Powell's affirmative defenses was denied as moot.
• Wineland v. Air & Liquid Systems Corporation (2021). The court granted Alfa Laval's motion for summary judgment and dismissed the plaintiffs' negligence and strict liability claims, because they had no evidence that asbestos from Alfa Laval products was a substantial contributing factor in Mr. Wineland's mesothelioma.
• Wineland v. Air & Liquid Systems Corporation (2021). The district court granted Robertshaw Controls' motion for summary judgment against the Wineland plaintiffs, and denied plaintiffs' motion on Robertshaw's affirmative defenses as moot.
• Wineland v. Air & Liquid Systems Corporation (2021). The court granted Anchor/Darling Valve Co.'s motion for summary judgment and dismissed the plaintiffs' claims, finding they lacked evidence of substantial exposure to Anchor/Darling products or of a duty to warn about third-party replacement parts.
• Casey v. Alcoa Corporation (2020). The district court granted Alcoa's motion for summary judgment and dismissed Clinton Casey's asbestos claims against Alcoa with prejudice because the Washington Industrial Insurance Act barred them.
• Clayton v. Air & Liquid Systems Corporation (2020). The court denied plaintiff Jill Clayton's motion to exclude defendant Syd Carpenter's industrial hygienist's dose reconstruction opinions, and denied as moot the part of the motion aimed at Vigor's expert because Vigor had settled.
• Deem v. Air & Liquid Systems Corporation (2020). The court granted summary judgment to Air & Liquid Systems, Foster-Wheeler and Warren Pumps on Deem's maritime law claims, and denied Deem's motions for partial summary judgment on their affirmative defenses as moot.
• Ulbricht v. United States Fidelity and Guaranty Company (2020). The court granted USF&G's motion to consolidate the two insurance coverage cases for all purposes through trial, and denied without prejudice its request to dismiss the Ulbrichts' action, leaving party alignment and order of proof for later.
• Wineland v. Air & Liquid Systems Corporation (2020). The court denied Todd Shipyard's (Puget Sound Commerce Center's) Daubert motion, so plaintiffs' experts Moore, Paskal, Zhang and Ay may testify.
• Wineland v. Air & Liquid Systems Corporation (2020). The Court did not rule on Puget Sound Commerce Center's Daubert motion; it renoted the motion and allowed plaintiffs to file a sur-reply on the reliability of the experts' substantial contributing factor opinions.
• Clayton v. Air & Liquid Systems Corp. (2019). The court granted defendant Syd Carpenter's motion to extend the discovery and expert deadlines for limited discovery on William Clayton's cause of death, over plaintiff Jill Clayton's opposition.
• Clayton v. Air & Liquid Systems Corporation (2019). The court granted Syd Carpenter's motion for partial summary judgment on the strict liability, conspiracy and breach of warranty claims, denied it on unspecified miscellaneous claims, and granted the Claytons' motion against Syd Carpenter's government contractor defense.
• Deem v. Air & Liquid Systems Corporation (2019). The court granted Crosby Valve's motion to dismiss Sherri Deem's maritime wrongful death claims as time-barred and denied Crosby's summary judgment motion as moot; Crosby was terminated from the case.
• Deem v. Air & Liquid Systems Corporation (2019). The court granted FMC and McNally's motion to dismiss Deem's non-Washington-law claims as vague, but gave her leave to amend. It also granted Deem's motion to apply maritime law and denied her motion to certify a question to the Washington Supreme Court without prejudice.
• Deem v. Air & Liquid Systems Corporation (2019). The court granted Cleaver-Brooks's motion for summary judgment on Sherri Deem's claims to the extent they arise under Washington law, following its earlier April 25th Order on the statute of limitations.
• Deem v. Air & Liquid Systems Corporation (2019). The court granted summary judgment to FMC, McNally and the joining defendants, barring Mrs. Deem's wrongful death claims against them to the extent they arise under Washington law, because the limitations period on Mr. Deem's personal injury claims against them had run.
• Deem v. Air & Liquid Systems Corporation (2019). The court reserved ruling on summary judgment motions by GE, Foster Wheeler and Westinghouse, allowed Mrs. Deem a Rule 56(d) continuance instead of denying the motions as premature, and ordered supplemental briefing on the effect of the Supreme Court's DeVries decision.
• Jack v. Dco, LLC (2019). The district court granted DCo's and Ford's renewed motions for judgment as a matter of law on the plaintiffs' remaining post-sale failure-to-warn negligence theory and directed entry of judgment for the defendants.
• Klopman-Baerselman v. Air & Liquid Systems Corporation (2019). The court granted Foster Wheeler's summary judgment motion and dismissed all claims against it for lack of product-identification evidence, and granted plaintiff's motion holding Foster Wheeler waived its Dutch-law limitations defense.
• Klopman-Baerselman v. Air & Liquid Systems Corporation (2019). The court denied Honeywell's summary judgment motion on the Washington product liability claim, granted it on plaintiff's other broad claims (negligence, conspiracy, 402A/402B, premises, catch-all), and denied it without prejudice on the inadequately briefed admission and punitive damages issues.
• Klopman-Baerselman v. Air & Liquid Systems Corporation (2019). The court granted in part and denied in part Pneumo Abex's summary judgment motion: the Washington product liability claim survived for trial, while the plaintiff's other claims (negligence, conspiracy, Restatement 402A/402B strict liability, premises liability) were dismissed.