PHOENIX (AP) - The Arizona Supreme Court is set Friday to decide whether employers can be held liable to somebody who contracted cancer from asbestos brought home on a parent’s work clothes.
The case stems from the 2014 death of Ernest Quiroz Jr., whose 2013 negligence lawsuit contends he was exposed to asbestos on his father’s work clothes.
The suit argued that Reynolds Metal Co. was legally obligated to avoid creating hazardous conditions that would injure people off its property.
However, lower courts ruled that Reynolds, which was later purchased by Alcoa Inc., didn’t have a legal obligation to Quiroz, something required for a negligence claim.
A Court of Appeals ruling said potential drawbacks of recognizing what’s called a duty of care in so-called “take-home exposure” cases outweigh potential benefits.
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