Date: October 3, 2002
Source: News Room
The U.S. Supreme Court has rejected a constitutional challenge by companies arguing that a massive West Virginia asbestos trial violates fundamental fairness. Without comment, the justices declined to hear the appeal by oil giant Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) and industrial conglomerate Honeywell International (NYSE:HON) claiming the plaintiffs' cases were so dissimilar that consolidating them violates their due process rights. The companies challenged the single mass trial in which about 8,000 plaintiffs who claim exposure to asbestos initially sued about 250 defendants, including various groups of employers, building owners, manufacturers and insurers. But by the time the trial got under way during the week of Sept. 23, all but about four of the defendants had reached last-minute, out-of-court settlements with the plaintiffs. Honeywell was among the companies reaching a settlement. The only remaining defendants were Exxon Mobil, Dow Chemical Co.'s (NYSE: DOW) Union Carbide unit, Amchem Inc. and John Crane.
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