BNSF Defeats Two Employees’ Asbestos-Related Lung Cancer Claims

BNSF Railway Company defeated two lawsuits on behalf of relatives who died of lung cancer after continuous exposure to asbestos because they both signed a release settling any future risks, including cancer related to their work exposure to asbestos, a Texas appeals court said.

Alan Fisher was diagnosed with asbestosis as a result of his work as a sheet metal worker, the Texas Court of Appeals, Second District said. Fisher, represented by counsel, settled and released claims he had against BNSF for personal injuries arising from work-related exposures to asbestos in 2005.

The release of his claims included a clause ...