Real-Time Court Decisions and Other Developments in Asbestos Litigation.
On April 26, 2016, a California jury decided to punish American Optical Corporation (AOC) with $10 million in punitive damages, tacking on to the $22 million verdict awarded to the plaintiffs on April 22. After a month-long trial that included the suit being removed to a California district court and remanded back down to the … Continued
On April 22, 2016, a district court jury in Arizona found full damages for the wrongful death of George Coulbourn. Mr. Coulbourn was a retired civilian employee of the U.S. Navy who was allegedly exposed to asbestos, developing mesothelioma, while working as a shipyard machinist in the Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Virginia from 1959–66. His … Continued
The plaintiff’s decedent was a lifelong electrician from 1963 to 2001 with a large number of work sites. The decedent died of mesothelioma at age 72. After numerous co-worker depositions, the case proceeded to trial against defendant The Okonite Company. The jury found that Okonite was negligent and assigned it 5 percent of the total … Continued
In the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County, a jury found in favor of the plaintiff Doris Busbey for an award of $1.7M. The case arose out of asbestos litigation against ESAB Group/Alloy Rod and Air Liquid, but Air Liquid was dismissed from the case. In the jury’s verdict, they found ESAB Group/Alley Rods … Continued
In this case, the plaintiff alleged that the decedent, William Robinson, died from pleural mesothelioma as a result of his asbestos exposure while working at Allied Chemical from 1968 to 1998. Defendant Flowserve Corporation, f/k/a The Duriron Company, which manufactured Duriron/Durco pumps and valves, was represented by Chris Massenburg and Max Swetman of Manion Gaynor … Continued
On November 18, 2015, a jury in California Superior Court for Alameda County awarded a near $7 million verdict against Union Pacific Railroad in a FELA case following a six week trial. The court had previously determined that $451,265.00 was the amount of economic damages. $6.5 million was awarded by the jury for non-economic loss … Continued
In a case of first impression under New Jersey’s Product Liability Act, a Middlesex County, New Jersey jury returned a defense verdict in a mesothelioma case involving a 60-year-old plaintiff who claimed exposure to cosmetic talcum powder products in the 1950s-1970s that were allegedly contaminated with trace amounts of asbestos. The jury found that Shulton, … Continued
On October 8, 2015, a South Carolina jury found Texas-based materials company Celanese Corp. liable in a lawsuit brought by the family of a maintenance worker who died of cancer after being exposed to asbestos at one of Celanese’s plants in the 1970s. After two weeks of trial, the jury unanimously awarded the family of … Continued
On October 7, 2015, the Alameda County Superior Court in California found in favor of defendant John Crane Inc. in an asbestos exposure lawsuit. The plaintiff, James Harkin, had asserted that his mesothelioma was caused by exposure to asbestos from valve packing manufactured by John Crane Inc. and brought several asbestos-related product liability claims. He … Continued
In this federal court case, it was alleged that the plaintiff, Gregory Cannard, was exposed to asbestos insulation while serving in the Navy from 1965 to 1967, and while working for Lomac Motors from 1975 to 1978, where he allegedly ground asbestos head gaskets from Ford Motor Co. (Ford). At the time of trial, Ford … Continued