Construction Repose Law Doesn’t Bar Asbestos Suit

Asbestos exposure claims brought by the widow of a steamfitter who died of mesothelioma aren’t barred by a Wisconsin statute of repose for injuries caused by an improvement to real property, a Wisconsin appeals court ruled Dec. 22 (Brezonick v. A.W. Chesterton Co., 2015 BL 420349, Wis. Ct. App., 2014AP2775, 12/22/15).

Evidence that the steamfitter was exposed to asbestos while installing new pipes and replacing old pipes and insulation doesn’t establish an improvement to real property, the court said.

The 10-year time bar for filing suit wasn’t triggered because the defendants failed to show the work was ...