Pfizer Gets High Court Inquiry on Asbestos Suit Shield
This article is for subscribers only.
The U.S. Supreme Court signaled interest in Pfizer Inc.’s bid for a shield from some asbestos lawsuits connected to its Quigley Co. subsidiary, a bankrupt unit that stopped most operations in 1992.
The justices today asked the Obama administration for advice on Pfizer’s appeal of a ruling that opened the New York-based drugmaker to some claims related to Quigley. That company made asbestos-containing products for the steel industry from the 1940s to the 1970s. Pfizer acquired Quigley in 1968. Asbestos, once widely used an insulator, was later shown to cause cancer.