Wash. Appellate Court Reverses Damages in $81.5 Million Asbestos Verdict, Upholds Finding of Liability

TACOMA, Wash. –– A Washington appellate court has reversed, in part, an $81.5 million asbestos verdict against NAPA and GPC, opining that the trial court erred when it excluded testimony of an expert set to speak on whether the decedent’s life expectancy was shortened due to his cirrhosis of the liver.

In the Feb. 19 opinion, the Washington Court of Appeals, Division II, also found that a $30 million noneconomic damages award was excessive, given that the decedent’s health was unaffected until the last six months of his life.

The appellate court did affirm the liability finding against Genuine …