Ore. State Court Orders New Trial in Asbestos Case, Cites Failure to Disclose Trust Claims

PORTLAND, Ore. –– An Oregon state court has ordered a new trial in an asbestos case that recently ended in a nearly $4 million verdict after the defendants discovered that the plaintiffs had failed to disclose all claims filed with bankruptcy trusts.

In its Aug. 14 order, the Oregon Circuit Court for Multnomah County denied the defendants’ motions for judgment notwithstanding the verdict, but granted the alterative motions for a new trial.

The motions were brought by Georgia Pacific, Weyerhaeuser, and Longview Fibre Paper & Packaging.

In December, a jury awarded $3.96 million the surviving family members of a former …