California High Court Rules Firms Must Protect Households From Asbestos

The California Supreme Court says companies can be held liable for exposing members of a worker’s household to asbestos.

The court ruled unanimously earlier this month that companies have a responsibility to prevent such exposure when they can reasonably foresee that their employees will carry asbestos on their bodies or clothing to their households.

The court limited responsibility to members of a worker’s household and no one beyond that.

The ruling came in two separate lawsuits, one of them against BNSF Railway Co. by the family of a woman who died of cancer. The family said the woman’s ex-husband, a railway employee, exposed her to asbestos from his job, and the asbestos caused her cancer.

A BNSF spokeswoman said the company was reviewing the decision.