July 25, 2012

Brad Bleichner and Karen Goldberg teamed up once again to prevail on a Summary Judgment motion in an asbestos related case filed in the Los Angeles Superior Court.  Selman Breitman LLP represented defendant Saint-Gobain Abrasives, Inc., formerly known as Norton Company in this wrongful death disputed mesothelioma action.  Plaintiffs claimed decedent was exposed to asbestos while working as a plumber, and while performing home remodeling and automotive repair work.  Plaintiffs claimed that decedent was exposed to asbestos while using Norton grinding wheels during his career as a plumber.  Saint-Gobain moved for summary judgment on the basis that decedent did not work with or around any asbestos-containing grinding wheels and thus, had no admissible evidence that decedent was exposed to asbestos for which it was responsible. At the hearing, Saint-Gobain argued, and the court agreed, that there was no triable issue as to causation because plaintiffs could not demonstrate decedent's threshold exposure to asbestos from a Norton product.  Thus, summary judgment was granted and entered on behalf of Saint-Gobain.