State House passes another bill taking aim at asbestos claimants
On the final day before the mid-session break, the Montana House passed two measures affecting hundreds of wrongful death and personal injury claims lodged against BNSF Railway.
House Bill 803 raises the evidentiary requirements for plaintiffs filing an asbestos tort in Montana. Proponents of the legislation referenced national concerns about fraudulent asbestos claims, including a 2020 press release from the United States Department of Justice while critics brought the argument closer to home.
“We’re talking about Libby, Montana,” said Rep. Zooey Zephyr, D-Missoula, at a March 1 House Judiciary Committee meeting. “We’re talking about one of the greatest environmental disasters in this country, and we’re thinking about the impacts on an entire town of people.”
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