Opinion ID: 3134558
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: Evidence of Contacts Among Defendants and Other Asbestos Product Manufacturers

Text: Although the majority of the evidence presented at trial concerned the separate, but allegedly parallel, activities of defendants and other asbestos-containing product manufacturers, plaintiffs did present some evidence of contacts among these companies. The evidence of contacts among the alleged conspirators was also circumstantial.
Plaintiffs presented the following evidence of a relationship between Owens Corning and Owens-Illinois. Owens Corning was formed in 1938 by Owens-Illinois and Corning Glass. In addition, William Boeschenstein, Owens Corning’s chief executive officer, testified that Owens-Illinois “owned a large part of Owens-Corning,” although he did not indicate the time period of this ownership. With respect to contacts between these companies, there was evidence that, in 1941, an Owens Corning attorney returned two published articles he had borrowed from Owens-Illinois’ industrial hygienist. These articles concerned the health effects of asbestos and dust-control methods in asbestos manufacturing plants. Evidence of other contacts between these companies included Owens Corning’s agreement to distribute Kaylo in 1953 and to later purchase the Kaylo division from Owens-Illinois in 1958. In addition, the 1956 Owens Corning brochure advertising Kaylo as nontoxic contained the information that Kaylo was manufactured by Owens-Illinois and was a trademark of this company. Under the distribution agreement, Owens Corning was required to use Owens-Illinois’ trademark and trade name.
Plaintiffs’ evidence of contacts between Owens Corning and Johns-Manville included a 1964 internal Owens Corning memorandum. This memorandum indicated that Johns-Manville’s medical director had informed Owens Corning that, in October of that year, Johns-Manville planned to label shipping cartons of asbestos-containing products with warnings of the “alleged hazards of asbestos.” The author of the Owens Corning memorandum observed: “It is obvious that these warning labels will have some impact in the field and possibly upon Public Health and other government officials. The question before us is whether or not Fiberglas Kaylo should protect itself against more stringent and punitive health laws and the possibility of third party actions by following the J-M lead.” A 1965 internal Owens Corning memorandum indicated that, several months after receiving this information from Johns-Manville, Owens Corning was still deciding whether to place warning labels on its own asbestos-containing products. The author of the 1965 memorandum recommended that Owens Corning “continue to give serious consideration to the labeling of  Kaylo products in a manner similar to that currently being used by Johns-Manville [because] the fact that Johns-Manville is labeling their preformed products is in itself a pressure on the whole industry to consider labeling.”
Plaintiffs also presented evidence that Owens Corning and Johns-Manville employees were involved in the National Insulation Manufacturers Association, Inc. (NIMA), a trade organization. In 1968, Owens Corning’s medical director joined this organization as a representative for his company. There was also evidence that another Owens Corning employee and a Johns-Manville employee participated in drafting a pamphlet published by NIMA in 1969 or 1970. This pamphlet, entitled “Recommended Health Safety Practices For Handling and Applying Thermal Insulation Products Containing Asbestos,” did not identify the specific health hazards involved with asbestos exposure, such as asbestosis, lung cancer, or mesothelioma. Instead, the pamphlet stated generally that there were certain health risks associated with asbestos insulation. For example, the introduction provided: “The modern mass production of hundreds of natural and synthetic materials, such as asbestos, has brought the need to protect workers from certain health risks, known or suspected.