Mesothelioma Victim Awarded $20 Million by California Jury

OAKLAND, Calif - A California jury on April 6 awarded a $20 million verdict to a man who worked around asbestos for 41 years and now suffers from mesothelioma, finding negligence on the part of a producer of asbestos cement pipes. Hardcastle v. J-M A/C Pipe Corp., No. 30058-2 (Calif. Super. Ct., Alameda Cty.).

Because the jury attributed half the liability to long-bankrupt Johns Manville International Inc., the actual award amounted to just over $10 million, according to sources.

Plaintiff William Hardcastle, 61, and his wife sued J-M A/C Pipe Corp. for fraud and negligence. Hardcastle had worked for …