Craig Liljestrand's CDLB Column: Massachusetts Supreme Court Interprets Statute of Repose, Blocks Asbestos Claim

Hinshaw's Craig Liljestrand has published his latest Chicago Daily Law Bulletin (CDLB) column. Titled "Strict statute of repose blocks Massachusetts asbestos claim," the article examines June Stearns, et al. v. Metropolitan Life Insurance Co., et al., No. SJC-12544 (Mass. Sup. Jud. 2019).

In the article, Liljestrand explains the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts opinion issued in response to a certified question from the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts. The Massachusetts Supreme Court found that the six-year statue of repose outlined in G.L. c. 260, Paragraph 2B, "eliminates all tort claims arising from diseases or illnesses with extended latency periods," which includes instances of asbestos exposure where the defendant had "knowing control of the injurious instrumentality at the time of exposure."

Read "Strict statute of repose blocks Massachusetts asbestos claim" (PDF)

You can also read "Strict statute of repose blocks Massachusetts asbestos claim," published by the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin on May 8, 2019, on the CDLB website (subscription required)