Ill. Federal Jury Reaches Defense Verdict for John Crane in Asbestosis Case

BENTON, Ill. –– Jurors in Illinois have reached a defense verdict for John Crane Inc., rejecting claims asserted in an asbestosis suit brought by a plaintiff who alleged U.S. Naval exposure from the 1950s.

The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois jury reached the unanimous verdict on Oct. 29 after two hours of deliberations. Judge Staci Yandle presided over the two-week trial, sources said.

Plaintiff Andrew V. Kochera Jr. initially filed the complaint in the Third Judicial Circuit Court for Madison County, contending that his service in the U.S. Navy for three years in the 1950s …