Naval Machinist, Mechanic Awarded $2.5 Million in Mesothelioma Case

OAKLAND, Calif. - A California jury has awarded more than $2.5 million to a former Navy machinist and water pollution control plant mechanic whose asbestos exposure caused him to develop mesothelioma. Soule v. Garlock, Inc., et al., No. 2002-045881 (Calif. Super. Ct., Alameda Cty.).

The Alameda County Superior Court jury entered the verdict Oct. 20 on behalf of Roger and Tomie Soule, finding that defendant John Crane, Inc., was partly responsible for causing 74-year-old Roger Soule's mesothelioma.

Soule alleged that he was exposed to John Crane's asbestos-containing valve and pump packing material while working as a machinist aboard several U.S. …