$9 Million Verdict Returned Against John Crane in Va. Shipyard Worker's Case

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - A jury in Virginia has awarded more than $9 million to the family of a former shipyard worker who developed mesothelioma, allegedly as a result of exposure to gasket and packing material manufactured by John Crane Inc. Bristow v. John Crane Inc., No. CL10-00972P-03 (Va. Cir. Ct., Newport News).

The verdict was returned Feb. 17 in Newport News Circuit Court, where jurors found John Crane 100 percent responsible for causing John K. Bristow's illness and subsequent death.

Bristow worked as a pipefitter on submarines and aircraft carriers and claimed that he was exposed to asbestos …