Houston Appellate Court Paves Way for 4th Bellwether Trial Against 3M

A planned fourth bellwether trial against 3M brought by a group of 30 plaintiffs who were injured in the fatal Watson Grinding and Manufacturing explosion that rocked a West Houston neighborhood in January 2020 will proceed as the judge overseeing the multidistrict litigation planned.

Last week, 3M had asked the First Court of Appeals in Houston for a variety of relief: staying the fourth trial, slated to begin July 13, while its appeal of an earlier jury verdict proceeded, or, alternatively, ordering a 60-day continuance and limiting the number of plaintiffs in the case to no more than 10.