Shell Oil Keeps Offshore Asbestos Claim in Federal Court

Shell Oil won a bid to keep a pipefitter’s asbestos exposure claims in federal court.

There is federal jurisdiction under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act because the pipefitter’s alleged injuries occurred while he was building or repairing offshore drilling and production platforms, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana said.

The ruling means the case will proceed under federal, rather than state law.

The court rejected the argument that the OCSLA only applies when a plaintiff was “operating” a platform at the time of exposure.

The plaintiff, Federico Lopez, argued that state law applies because he ...