Calif. Court Reinstates $5 Million Verdict Against Asbestos Supplier Special Electric

LOS ANGELES –– A California appellate court has reinstated a $5 million asbestos verdict entered against Special Electric Co. Inc., opining that the jury was properly given the opportunity to determine whether the asbestos supplier’s actions were a substantial contributing factor in causing the plaintiff’s mesothelioma.

In the March 14 ruling, the California 2nd District Court of Appeal reversed the trial court’s grant of a motion for judgment notwithstanding the verdict on both procedural and substantive grounds.

William and Jacqueline Webb filed the instant action, seeking damages for William’s mesothelioma. The plaintiffs alleged that William developed the illness …