Auto Makers Win Asbestos Appeal

DaimlerChrysler, Ford Motor Co. and General Motors Corp. won an appeal barring a judge from hearing asbestos cases against them.

The U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals said U.S. District Judge Samuel B. Kent demonstrated his bias against the companies in a letter he wrote protesting their attempts to shift the asbestos health claims to a bankruptcy court in Delaware.

The decision, which also reverses Kent’s order for sanctions against the car makers, may delay resolution of some of the 20,000-plus asbestos suits against the companies.