Florida Appellate Court Reverses $8 Million Asbestos Verdict; Says Crane Co. Entitled to Directed Verdict, R.J. Reynolds Entitled to New Trial

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. –– A Florida appellate court has reversed an $8 million verdict entered in an asbestos case, ordering an entry of a directed verdict for Crane Co. and a new trial on all issues as to R.J. Reynolds after finding, in part, that the trial court erred when it did not exclude the testimony of several plaintiff experts, one of which, the court opined, failed to support his methodology with any data.

In the Sept. 14 opinion, the Florida 4th District Court of Appeal wrote that the “opinion that every asbestos exposure level above background level is …