Chevron, Exxon Escape Iranian Oil Worker’s Asbestos Claims

Exxon Mobil Corp. and Chevron USA Inc. had no duty of care to an Iranian citizen who was exposed to asbestos while working in a refinery controlled by the company’s predecessors, a California appeals court said.

Houshang Sabetian sued Exxon and Chevron in 2018 for negligence, premises liability, and loss of consortium, alleging his exposure to asbestos in the refinery in Abadan, Iran led to his mesothelioma. Sabetian argued that both companies owed him a duty of care because their predecessors had gained control of the refinery following the nationalization of Iranian oil assets in 1951.

Los Angeles Superior Court ...