Lorita Savoie v. Huntington Ingalls, Inc.

COSTA, Circuit Judge:

From 1952 through 1976, the great majority of ocean-going vessels built at Avon-dale Shipyard 1 in Louisiana fulfilled contracts from the federal goyernment. The specifications for these Navy and Coast Guard vessels required asbestos insulation through at least 1968. In this lawsuit brought by survivors of a worker who allegedly 'contracted mesothelioma while working at the shipyard during this time, the question is whether strict liability claims based on the existence of asbestos at the shipyard give rise to federal jurisdiction under the federal officer removal statute.