Lawyers USA Online » asbestos litigation

Exxon escapes $17.5M asbestos judgment

Pat Murphy — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 17:26:21 +0000

An asbestos defendant should have been permitted to introduce evidence that it had no duty to intervene to protect the plaintiff because of the safety programs implemented by the plaintiff’s employer, the Virginia Supreme Court has ruled in reversing a $17.5 million judgment.

The plaintiff worked at a shipyard from
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‘Substantial factor’ test rejected for asbestos cases

Pat Murphy — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 19:12:10 +0000

An asbestos defendant in a multiple-exposure case could not be subjected to liability on the ground that its alleged negligence was a “substantial contributing factor” to a worker’s mesothelioma, the Virginia Supreme Court has ruled in reversing a $239,000 verdict.

The plaintiff’s husband died from mesothelioma in 2007. During the
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Asbestos claim accrued with first diagnosis

Pat Murphy — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 17:37:08 +0000

An asbestos plaintiff’s cause of action accrued upon the first communication of a doctor’s diagnosis of an asbestos-related injury or disease, the Virginia Supreme Court has ruled in answering a certified question from the 3rd Circuit.

The plaintiff’s husband was exposed to asbestos when he worked at a DuPont plant
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Asbestos plaintiff can show causation, State Supremes say

Pat Murphy — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 18:23:21 +0000

A product liability plaintiff produced sufficient evidence linking her husband’s mesothelioma to particular asbestos products to proceed with her claims against certain manufacturers, the Nevada Supreme Court has ruled.

The plaintiff’s husband worked in both the construction and automotive industries in
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Georgia-Pacific must pay $5M for ‘take-home’ asbestos

Pat Murphy — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 17:59:13 +0000

Manufacturer Georgia-Pacific could be liable for mesothelioma contracted by a woman who claimed she was exposed to asbestos fibers carried home on her grandfather’s work clothes, a Maryland appellate court has ruled in affirming a $5 million judgment.

The plaintiff’s grandfather worked as a union insulator using products containing asbestos
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Defense scores verdict in bystander mesothelioma case

Correy Stephenson — Tue, 28 Aug 2012 15:43:56 +0000

Rejecting a novel legal theory, a California jury found for defendants Exxon and Ford in a suit brought by a woman who claimed she contracted mesothelioma during visits to her then-boyfriend while he worked at a service station.

Marline Petitpas alleged
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Respirator manufacturers may be liable for asbestos exposure

Correy Stephenson — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 12:57:47 +0000

The manufacturers of respirators may be liable for failing to warn a shipyard worker of the risk of exposure to asbestos dust while cleaning the devices, the Washington Supreme Court has ruled.

A shipyard tool keeper was responsible for cleaning the equipment used by workers, including respirators manufactured by the
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$48M for mesothelioma victim with no direct asbestos exposure

Correy Stephenson — Thu, 05 Jul 2012 18:59:34 +0000

Despite never having worked directly with asbestos products, a general contractor diagnosed with mesothelioma has been awarded $48 million by a California jury.

Bobbie Izell worked as a general contractor building residential houses from 1964 through 1994 in the Los Angeles area, according to his attorney, John Langdoc of Baron
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Exposure rule doesn’t bar spouse’s asbestos claim

Pat Murphy — Mon, 18 Jun 2012 16:37:33 +0000

The wife of an asbestos victim could proceed with a claim for loss of consortium, even though her husband’s exposure to the defendant’s product occurred years before the marriage, the California Court of Appeal has ruled in reversing a dismissal.

The plaintiff was married in 2001. Her husband was diagnosed
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$322 million asbestos verdict becomes $0 on retrial

Sylvia Hsieh — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 20:07:05 +0000

In a retrial of the largest single plaintiff’s asbestos award in U.S. history, a second jury came back with a defense verdict and awarded nothing.

Last May, Thomas Brown, Jr., who worked his life in the Gulf Coast drilling business as
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