Texas Senate Passes Asbestos Causation Bill

A Senate bill that was approved with a vote of 20 to 11 will change the establish standards regarding the amount of a plaintiff's asbestos exposure and requirement to prove that the dose was sufficient enough to cause mesothelioma. Senate bill 1123 will require that the burden of proof lay with the defendant to prove that limited exposure to asbestos attributable to the defendant did not cause mesothelioma.

In support of this bill are labor unions and trial lawyers who are fighting to increase the rights of workers who have been exposed to asbestos and for those who have developed mesothelioma. Before the bill was passed, it was necessary for the plaintiff to prove both exposure and to prove that the amount of exposure was sufficient to be a factor in causing mesothelioma.