Trial Court Overstated Settlement Credit Following Asbestos Verdict, Appeals Court Says

SAN FRANCISCO - When a jury awards economic, as well as loss of consortium damages for injuries allegedly caused by asbestos, and there are pre-verdict settlements as a result of such damages, the principles of established case law require that the trial court apply ratios established by the verdict to apportion the settlement amounts between economic and noneconomic damages, a California appeals court has ruled. Lewis, et al., v. John Crane, Inc., et al., No. A092213, A093411 (Calif. App., 1st Dist.).

In a decision that slightly alters final judgment that followed a jury's award of more than $2 million to …