CCL filed an amicus curiae brief on behalf of AAJ today urging the U.S. Supreme Court to review a Virginia Supreme Court decision denying recovery under the Longshore and Harborworkers Compensation Act. Minton v. Exxon Mobil Corp., Docket No. 12-1319. 

Minton, a shipyard repair supervisor, was stricken by mesothelioma caused by exposure to asbestos dust on Exxon oil tankers. The Virginia court overturned the jury's verdict, holding that the vessel owner has no duty under LHWCA to protect a worker from danger if the employer had the knowledge and ability to do so. The AAJ amicus brief, authored by CCL Senior Counsel Jeffrey White, argued that controlling Supreme Court precedent requires the owner to intervene where it knows of the danger aboard its vessel and knows that the employer is taking no precautions to protect its own workers.