Opinion ID: 2778690
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Barraford Claims

Text: Daniel Barraford died in 2002 of mesothelioma, a cancer generally caused by asbestos inhalation. Barraford had been exposed to asbestos products manufactured by T&N, among others, when he worked as an electrician and engineer on the construction of the Prudential Center in Boston, Massachusetts. In 2004, his widow Nora Barraford brought suit against a number of asbestos manufacturers on her own behalf and as executrix of his estate. Barraford did not name T&N as a defendant because T&N had filed in 2001 for protection under Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code (the Code). 11 U.S.C. §§ 101 et seq. Under the Code, the filing of a bankruptcy petition triggers a so-called automatic stay that bars the commencement of suit against the debtor on any claim that arose before the commencement of the [bankruptcy] case. Id. § 362(a)(1). The stay covered Barraford's claims because, for bankruptcy purposes, any claim for personal injury arising from exposure to a product arises when the claimant -5- was first exposed to the product. See In re Grossman's, Inc., 607 F.3d 114, 125 (3d Cir. 2010) (en banc). Under Massachusetts law, Barraford's state-law claims would have expired at the latest in 2005, three years after his death. Mass Gen. Laws ch. 229, § 2; ch. 260, § 2A. The Code, however, delays the expiration of any limitations period that would otherwise end during the duration of the automatic stay until thirty days have passed after notice of termination of the stay. 11 U.S.C. § 108(c)(2). The question posed by this case is whether that stay was terminated no later than December 27, 2007, the effective date of T&N's reorganization Plan,2 such that the Barraford claims became time-barred thirty days thereafter, or whether the Plan modified and extended the stay indefinitely, such that the claims were not time-barred when this suit was brought in 2011. The answer to this question lies primarily in the language of the Plan.