The creditors of a bankrupt Hess Corp. subsidiary have asked a U.S. judge to dismiss the company's bankruptcy case, saying it serves no purpose other than to protect Hess from lawsuits related to asbestos exposure at a Virgin Islands oil refinery, Reuters reported. The creditors allege that Hess, a $37 billion energy company, is abusing U.S. bankruptcy laws to dodge 900 claims stemming from asbestos contamination at a St. Croix refinery that it operated for decades, according to a motion filed Thursday in Houston bankruptcy court. Asbestos at the refinery caused lung disease and cancer, including mesothelioma, according to the official creditors committee in the bankruptcy case. Hess subsidiary HONX filed for chapter 11 protection in Houston on April 29, saying it intended to take advantage of the “breathing spell” of a bankruptcy case to reach a fair and efficient resolution of asbestos claims against Hess. In Thursday’s filing, the creditors committee said HONX has no need for a "breathing spell" because it is a mere "husk of a company" that has been re-animated as a shield against lawsuits. HONX's predecessor company ran the St. Croix refinery from 1965 to 1998, and the refinery has since been sold to new owners not affiliated with Hess.
