Sides Fiercely Divided Over Impact Of Garlock Asbestos Bankruptcy Order

A January decision in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of North Carolina that rejected asbestos claimants’ $1.3 billion liability estimate in favor of Garlock Sealing Technologies LLC’s $125 million estimate could be a “game changer” for asbestos manufacturers, a defense attorney told BNA in phone and e-mail interviews Feb. 25 and 26 (In re Garlock Sealing Techs. LLC, 2014 BL 9509, Bankr. W.D.N.C., No. 10-31607).

“This decision shines a bright light on unethical practices in the plaintiff asbestos bar that may be a game changer particularly for manufacturers whose legal responsibility for causing mesothelioma, like ...