Kurns v. Railroad Friction Products Corp.

Summary

The Court held that the Locomotive Inspection Act preempts state-law tort claims for defective design and failure to warn regarding locomotive equipment containing asbestos. Under Napier, the LIA occupies the field of regulating locomotive equipment broadly. Kagan concurred noting Napier is outdated but controls, while Sotomayor dissented from the failure-to-warn result.