American Biltrite Faces Retrial in Asbestos Floor Tile Suit

American Biltrite will face a retrial of claims that asbestos in its vinyl tile installed in a home half a century ago caused a man’s mesothelioma.

Though most asbestos personal injury claims involve workplace exposures, the case alleges exposure in the home.

Robert Friedman presented enough evidence for a jury to decide whether the company’s product caused his illness, which was diagnosed in January 2017, the California Court of Appeal said June 19 in an unpublished decision.

The lower court erred when it dismissed the claims at trial at the close of Friedman’s case, the court said.

Friedman testified that ...