Summary judgment for Goodyear reversed in asbestos case

SAN FRANCISO (Legal Newsline) – A California appeals court has ruled that a gasket manufacturer failed to prove a former Navy mechanic was not exposed to its asbestos-containing gasket sheet material and should not be granted summary judgment, reversing a lower court’s decision.

Plaintiff Donald Fields filed an appeal with California’s First District Court of Appeals on Sept. 17, 2012, after defendant Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company was granted summary judgment. Agreeing with Fields, the court ruled that Goodyear did not meet its additional burden of production and that Fields produced evidence establishing a triable issue of material fact.