Asbestos Defendant Fails in Attempt to Revive Lost Right to Appeal

SAN FRANCISCO - An appeals court in California has affirmed an order denying ExxonMobil relief to appeal an asbestos verdict after it missed the deadline for doing so. Robishaw v. ExxonMobil Corp., No. A097677 (Calif. App. Ct., 1st Dist.).

The decision stems from a March 21, 2001, verdict in San Francisco Superior Court, where a jury awarded Alan Vasen more than $8.2 million for his asbestos-related pleural mesothelioma. Vasen was exposed to asbestos while working as an insulator mechanic from 1962 to 1997. During that time, he worked at an oil refinery that was overseen by Exxon Corp.

Following the …