Evans v. Courtaulds Fibers, Inc.

On April 7, 1998, James R. Evans, Sr., sued Courtaulds Fibers, Inc., seeking workers' compensation benefits for an alleged occupational disease. Courtaulds moved for a summary judgment, arguing as grounds for that motion the doctrine of res judicata. On August 10, 1998, the trial court entered a summary judgment in favor of Courtaulds, holding that Evans's claim was barred by res judicata. Evans appealed.

Evans and 23 other plaintiffs sued Courtaulds on December 20, 1993. The plaintiffs alleged in their complaint that they had contracted an occupational disease after continued on-the-job…