Wish Granted for Judge Who Hoped for Reversal

A judge in Harris County who ended an asbestos-related wrongful death lawsuit by granting a no-evidence motion for summary judgment — but did so “reluctantly” and with the hope that the “ruling would be reversed on appeal” — got his wish Tuesday morning.

A three-justice panel of the Fourteenth Court of Appeals issued an opinion that revived the lawsuit brought by the family of Carolyn Burford against Alcoa Inc. Judge Mark Davidson, who presides over the asbestos multidistrict litigation court in Harris County, had dismissed the lawsuit in June 2022.