Miss. High Court Reverses $15.2 Million Verdict, Cites Wrongfully Admitted Evidence

JACKSON, Miss. –– The Mississippi Supreme Court has reversed a $15.2 million asbestos verdict on grounds that the trial court erred when it allowed plaintiffs’ counsel to read from drilling records that were not admitted into evidence during the cross-examination of a defense pulmonologist. Phillips 66 Co., et al., v. Lofton, No. 2010-CA-01465-SCT (Miss. Sup. Ct.).

The opinion, issued by the court this afternoon, reverses the verdict and remands for a new trial, finding that the evidence was “irrelevant and highly prejudicial” to defendant ConocoPhillips.

The Second Judicial District of the Mississippi Circuit Court for Jones County jury reached its …