Federal Court Says LHWCA Didn't Bar Worker's State-Law Tort Claims for Asbestos Exposure

In a case of first impression, a federal appellate court ruled that a worker’s state-law tort claims for his alleged asbestos exposure were not preempted by the federal Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act. Ronald Barrosse worked for the predecessor company to Huntington Ingalls Inc. as a shipyard electrician from February 1969 to June 1977. In March 2020, Barrosse was diagnosed with mesothelioma.  Following his diagnosis, Barrosse filed a state-law tort suit in a Louisiana court. Barrosse argued that Huntington’s predecessor caused him to contract mesoth...