Federal Judge Declares Mistrial in Asbestos-Containing Hot Tops Case

SEATTLE –– A Seattle federal judge has declared a mistrial in a case involving asbestos-containing hot tops after a jury failed to reach a unanimous decision after two days of deliberations.

According to a Dec. 16 minute entry on the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington’s online docket, the court declared a mistrial after questioning each of the jurors individually. The plaintiffs have since moved to amend their complaint and requested a Spring 2014 trial date for the retrial.

Jurors had indicated on Friday, Dec. 13, that they were deadlocked and were “unable to reach a …