Calif. Jury Awards $34 Million in Asbestos-Containing Brake Trial Against Ford Motor

LOS ANGELES –– A jury in California has awarded $34 million to a former auto mechanic who contended that exposure to asbestos-containing brakes caused him to develop mesothelioma.

In an Aug. 30 verdict, the California Superior Court for Los Angeles County jury awarded $25.5 million in punitive damages to Aug. 29 compensatory verdict of $8.5 million.

Jurors found Ford Motor Co. 100 percent liable for the plaintiff’s injuries, sources told HarrisMartin. The trial, before Hon. Stephen Moloney, took four weeks, but jurors only deliberated for approximately two hours.

The plaintiffs contended in their complaint that Arthur Putt was exposed …