Owens-Illinois, Pneumo Abex Beat Asbestos Conspiracy Claims

Owens-Illinois Inc. and Pneumo Abex LLC won’t face claims that they conspired with others to suppress information regarding the dangers of asbestos, after the Illinois Supreme Court said it rejected identical civil conspiracy claims 20 years ago.

A state appeals court erred when it failed to follow a 1999 ruling that overturned jury verdicts against Owens Corning and Owens-Illinois on claims of civil conspiracy, the court said.

The appeals court got it wrong when it distinguished the case here, decided on summary judgment, from the earlier case, which was decided on a motion for judgment notwithstanding the verdict, the court ...