Alfa Laval Faces 15,000 Asbestos Plaintiffs in US ------------------------------------------------- Published February 28, 2003 Alfa Laval said that as of Feb 15, its US subsidiary has been named as co-defendant in a total of 73 asbestos-related lawsuits with 15,000 plaintiffs. Of these, 19 lawsuits with a total of approximately 7,500 plaintiffs have been filed since Nov 4, 2002. However, the company said 99.7 percent of the increase in plaintiffs is related to multiple plaintiff lawsuits filed in Mississippi ahead of a new law which is likely to limit further such multiple filings after January 1. The lawsuits do not identify any Alfa Laval product that could be a basis of liability. The company believes the claims are without merit and intends to vigorously contest each lawsuit. It also said it believes the existing claims will be covered by insurance, and as such will not impact its results.