In re Toy Asbestos Litigation

District Court, N.D. California·Decided May 13, 2021·No. 4:19-cv-00325·Unknown

Opinion

Case No. 19-cv-00325-HSG

IN RE TOY ASBESTOS ORDER DENYING WARREN PUMPS, LLC’S MOTION FOR SUMMARY Re: Dkt. No. 454

Pending before the Court is Defendant Warren Pumps, LLC’s motion for summary judgment. See Dkt. No. 454. For the reasons detailed below, the Court DENIES the motion. Plaintiffs Agnes Toy and Thomas Toy, Jr. initially filed this action in Alameda Superior Court against over forty Defendants, alleging that Thomas H. Toy, Sr. developed malignant mesothelioma and later died from exposure to asbestos-containing products or equipment that Defendants either manufactured or supplied. See Dkt. No. 1-1. Defendants removed this action to federal court, Dkt. No. 1, and Plaintiffs filed a second amended complaint on July 22, 2019, Dkt. No. 247 (“SAC”). As relevant to this motion, Plaintiffs allege that Mr. Toy was exposed to asbestos from Warren brand pumps. See id. at ¶¶ 5–6. In their discovery responses, Plaintiffs clarified that, as alleged, “Mr. Toy inhaled asbestos fibers during the removal of asbestos-containing gaskets and/or packing material installed by WARREN.” See Dkt. No. 454-3, Ex. B at 3. During his deposition, Mr. Toy testified that he worked at Hunters Point Naval Shipyard from 1962 to 1973 as a marine machinist. See Dkt. No. 454-4, Ex. C (“Toy Depo. Vol. 1”) at 40:2–14, 42:16–17. While at the engine room. See id. at 42:16–43:7. When asked whether he remembered the brand names of the pumps that he worked on at Hunters Point, he testified that he remembered working on Warren pumps. Dkt. No. 497-3, Ex. 2 at 116:7–117:17. He could not, however, recall the specific vessels on which he worked with Warren pumps. See Dkt. No. 454-6, Ex. E (“Toy Depo. Vol. 5”) at 449:11–450:14. Mr. Toy also clarified that he did not work on the internal components of any Warren pump. See id. at 450:15–22. Rather, he would detach and pull out the pumps for other machinists to repair. See id.; see also id. at 422:11–24. Mr. Toy said that removing a pump did not require him to “disturb the gaskets or packing in the pump.” See Toy Dep., Vol. 7, 574:2–9. He also said that any insulation on the pumps was removed by the time he worked on them, so he did not recall removing any insulation. See Toy Depo. Vol. 5 at 410:13–25. Repair work was often performed in a separate shop and the equipment was later sent back to the vessel where Mr. Toy would reinstall it. See id. at 422:11–24; see also Dkt. No. 497-4, Ex. 3 at 422:11–423:9. From 1974 to 1980 Mr. Toy also worked at the Treasure Island Naval Base. See Toy Depo. Vol. 2 at 114:4–115:5. Plaintiffs assert that Mr. Toy confirmed that he worked with Warren pumps at Treasure Island as well. See Dkt. No. 497 at 2 (citing Dkt. No. 497-3, Ex. 2 at 116:9– 117:12; Dkt. No. 497-6, Ex. 5 at 565:16–23). According to Defendant, however, Mr. Toy did not specifically identify working with Warren pumps while at Treasure Island. See Dkt. No. 497-2, Ex. 1 at 85:14–86:6. When specifically asked if he worked on the same pump brands that he worked on (and identified) at Hunters Point, he said “no, I don’t know.” See id. Based on this deposition testimony, Defendant urges that Mr. Toy was never exposed to any asbestos-containing part for which Defendant is responsible. See Dkt. No. 454. Defendant thus moves for summary judgment as to all Plaintiffs’ causes of action against it. See id. Summary judgment is proper when a “movant shows that there is no genuine dispute as to any material fact and the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law.” Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(a). A fact is “material” if it “might affect the outcome of the suit under the governing law.” Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 248 (1986). And a dispute is “genuine” if there is evidence But in deciding if a dispute is genuine, the court must view the inferences reasonably drawn from the materials in the record in the light most favorable to the nonmoving party, Matsushita Elec. Indus. Co. v. Zenith Radio Corp., 475 U.S. 574, 587–88 (1986), and “may not weigh the evidence or make credibility determinations,” Freeman v. Arpaio, 125 F.3d 732, 735 (9th Cir. 1997), overruled on other grounds by Shakur v. Schriro, 514 F.3d 878, 884–85 (9th Cir. 2008). If a court finds that there is no genuine dispute of material fact as to only a single claim or defense or as to part of a claim or defense, it may enter partial summary judgment. Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(a). A. Maritime Law As a threshold matter, the parties disagree about whether California state law or maritime law should apply in this case. Compare Dkt. No. 454 at 4–5, with Dkt. No. 497 at 12–17. The Ninth Circuit has explained that “[a] tort claim falls within the admiralty jurisdiction of the federal courts when two conditions are met.” Taghadomi v. United States, 401 F.3d 1080, 1084 (9th Cir. 2005); see also Jerome B. Grubart, Inc. v. Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Co., 513 U.S. 527, 531– 43 (1995). First, the case must meet the “location test,” meaning that “the tort must occur on or over navigable waters.” Taghadomi, 401 F.3d at 1084 (citations omitted). Second, the case must meet the “connections test,” meaning that “the actions giving rise to the tort claim must bear a significant relationship to traditional maritime activity.” Id. (quotation omitted). Plaintiffs contend that Defendant has not met the location test because “Mr. Toy’s exposure was primarily on land at Hunters Point (in dry dock) . . . .” Dkt. No. 497 at 12 (emphasis omitted). However, for purposes of the location test, “[i]t is well-settled that vessels in drydock are still considered to be in ‘navigable waters’ for purposes of admiralty jurisdiction.” See Cabasug v. Crane Co., 956 F. Supp. 2d 1178, 1187 (D. Haw. 2013). Plaintiffs also argue that Mr. Toy worked “exclusively on land at Treasure Island.” See Dkt. No. 497 at 12. Plaintiffs state that one third of Mr. Toy’s work experience, as relevant to this case, was as a land-based machinist on Treasure Island. See id. at 14. Defendant does not appear to dispute this. Rather, Defendant argues that Mr. Toy testified that he did not recall which brand of pumps he worked on at Treasure the contrary, according to Plaintiffs, Mr. Toy confirmed later in his deposition that he worked with Warren pumps at Treasure Island as well. See Dkt. No. 497 at 2 (citing Dkt. No. 497-3, Ex. 2 at 116:9–117:12; Dkt. No. 497-6, Ex. 5 at 565:16–23). It is not the Court’s role to weigh the persuasiveness of the competing evidence here. Plaintiffs have proffered evidence that Mr. Toy worked on Warren pumps at Treasure Island. Nevertheless, courts have found that “[b]ecause asbestos-related disease has a long latency period and often involves years of work on or around ships, intermittent episodes of land-based exposure do not affect the analysis . . . .” See Wineland v. Air & Liquid Sys. Corp., No. C19- 0793RSL, 2021 WL 843166, at *2 (W.D. Wash. Mar. 4, 2021). Rather, “the locality test is satisfied as long as some portion of the asbestos exposure occurred on a vessel on navigable waters.” Id. (citing Cabasug, 956 F. Supp. 2d at 1187); accord Conner v. Alfa Laval, Inc., 799 F. Supp. 2d 455, 466, & n.11 (E.D. Pa. 2011) (de

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