Stephens v. One Touch Direct, LLC

**Stephens v. One Touch Direct, LLC - Court Ruling Summary** This case involved a worker who was exposed to asbestos and later developed health problems. The worker sued a company that had taken over (acquired) the business where the asbestos exposure occurred. The company argued it shouldn't be responsible for the health damages because a Texas law limited the liability of companies that acquire businesses with asbestos problems. The Texas Supreme Court ruled in favor of the worker. The court found that the state law protecting successor companies from asbestos lawsuits was unconstitutional in this situation. The court determined that applying this law retroactively - meaning to cases that happened before the law was passed - violated the worker's existing legal rights without giving them a fair chance to pursue their case first. **What this means for workers:** This decision protects workers' rights to seek compensation for workplace injuries, even when companies change ownership. Workers who were harmed by dangerous workplace conditions cannot have their legal claims wiped away by new laws that favor businesses. The ruling reinforces that when workers have valid injury claims, those rights cannot be taken away retroactively by legislation designed to shield companies from responsibility.