United States Fifth Circuit

Dismissal, for lack of jurisdiction, of a class action suit claiming toxic exposure to beryllium at defendant-employer's space center facilities during the manufacture of parts for a space shuttle is reversed where the district court erred in finding it lacked personal jurisdiction over a defendant, a distributor of products containing beryllium. A question regarding whether the laws of Mississippi allow for a medical monitoring cause of action is certified to the Supreme Court of Mississippi.

Appellate Information

• Decided 04/07/2006
• Published 04/10/2006

Judges

• DENNIS, Circuit Judge:, Before DAVIS, SMITH and DENNIS, Circuit Judges.

Court

• United States Fifth Circuit

Counsel

• For Appellant:
  
• Randall Alan Smith, Stephen Michael Wiles, Smith & Fawer, New Orleans, LA, Ruben Honik (argued), Stephan Matanovic, Sherrie J. Cohen, Golomb & Honik, Philadelphia, PA, Robert C. Latham, Truly, Smith & Latham, Natches, MS, for Plaintiffs., Jeffrey Ubersax (argued), Jones Day, Cleveland, OH, Paul H. Stephenson, III, Watkins & Eager, Jackson, MS, for Brush Engineered Materials, Inc. and Brush Wellman, Inc., Timothy Dale Crawley (argued), Kristy Lynn Bennett, Anderson, Crawley & Burke, Ridgeland, MS, for Wess-Del, Inc., V.L. Woolston, Perkins Coie, Seattle, WA, Roy D. Campbell, III, Bradley Arant, Rose & White, Jackson, MS, for Boeing Co.