In a victory for plaintiffs seeking damages in connection with asbestos-related illnesses, a New Jersey appeals court has ruled that a manufacturer has a duty to warn about the risk of harm from exposure to asbestos-containing replacement parts, even if the manufacturer did not make or distribute those parts.

A three-judge Appellate Division panel in a published decision Monday, Whelan v. Armstrong International, reinstated lawsuits now maintained by the family of a man who died from complications of mesothelioma.