Calif. Appellate Court Affirms $5.5 Million Verdict Against Asbestos Defendant

SAN FRANCISCO –– A California appellate court has rejected challenges to a nearly $5.5 million verdict, ruling in part that asbestos defendant Crane Co.’s suggested interpretation of the consumer expectation test defines the ordinary consumer “narrowly.”

In the April 16 opinion, the 1st District California Court of Appeal also ruled that it was not improper for the trial court to enter a judgment in the amount of $937,882.56 in economic damages before applying settlement credits.

Plaintiff James Hellam contends that he developed mesothelioma after years of working with asbestos-containing products at a number of worksites. In his adolescence, Hellam …