The U.S. Supreme Court in a 7-2 ruling on Thursday said a 1986 global asbestos settlement shields The Travelers Cos. Inc. (TRV) from new asbestos claims relating to Johns-Manville Corp.

Justice David Souter, in the court's majority, said an injunction and federal bankruptcy court orders barring additional asbestos claims "generally stands in the way of challenging the enforceability of the injunction."

The opinion is a win for Travelers Cos., which in lower courts was potentially exposed to new asbestos lawsuits. Travelers has already agreed to a $500 million settlement covering Johns-Manville related asbestos claims.

Travelers was exposed to asbestos lawsuits through its insurance policies with Johns-Manville.

The insurer had asked the high court to overturn a ruling from the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York that had potentially exposed it to a new set of lawsuits filed in 2002.

Justices John Paul Stevens and Ruth Bader Ginsburg dissented.

The case is Travelers Indemnity Co. v. Bailey, 08-295.

-By Mark H. Anderson, Dow Jones Newswires, 202 862-9254; mark.anderson@dowjones.com