Calif. Jury Awards Nearly $8.5 Million in Joint Compound, Cement Case

LOS ANGELES -- A jury has awarded nearly $8.5 million to a former painter and handyman who claimed that his exposure to asbestos-containing joint compound and cement products led him to develop mesothelioma. Steffen v. CalPortland Co., et al., No. BC446485 (Calif. Super. Ct., Los Angeles Cty.).

In the June 20 verdict, the California Superior Court for Los Angeles County jury allocated 10 percent liability each to remaining defendants CalPortland Co. (f/k/a California Portland Cement Company) and Union Carbide Corp.

Jurors additionally found that the product of defendant Cytec Engineered Materials Inc. did not fail to perform as safely …