Fw: State Supreme Court to weigh in on 3M breast implant case

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----- Original Message -----

From: " Kathi " <pureheart@...>

Sent: Thursday, December 26, 2002 7:43 PM

Subject: State Supreme Court to weigh in on 3M breast implant case

> Posted on Thu, Dec. 26, 2002

>

> State Supreme Court to weigh in on 3M breast implant case

>

> Associated Press

>

> The state Supreme Court will hear 3M Co.'s appeal in a lawsuit

> over

> who should pay the costs of breast implant litigation.

>

> The high court's decision to review a Minnesota Court of Appeals

> ruling was announced on its Web site Thursday. In September, the

> appeals court spared a group of insurance companies from having

> to

> reimburse the Maplewood-based company as much as $100 million for

>

> breast implant-related cases.

>

> About two dozen insurance companies argued they were not in

> breach of

> their contracts with 3M, contending the injuries that were

> claimed had

> occurred outside of coverage periods.

>

> 3M entered the breast-implant business in 1977 through its

> purchase of

> a small California-based company. 3M sold the breast-implant line

> in

> 1984, but it was named in hundreds of lawsuits in the 1990s that

> contended silicone implants caused serious physical problems.

>

> In 1994, 3M took a $35 million pretax charge against earnings to

> cover

> some of the lawsuit costs and looked to its insurers to pay much

> of

> the rest. About 100 agreed and roughly 100 did not.

>

> 3M paid the costs, then sued the companies for reimbursement.

> Overall,

> 3M claims its defense and settlement costs exceeded $1 billion.

>

> Newsgroups: alt.support.breast-implant

> Subject: State Supreme Court to weigh in on 3M breast implant case

> NNTP-Posting-Host: 196.40.43.218

> Message-ID: <19faaec.0212261426.2146612e@...>

>

> http://www.twincities.com/mld/pioneerpress/4817651.htm

>