Calif. Judge Denies Metalclad’s Efforts to Obtain Mistrial in Asbestos Case

OAKLAND, Calif. –– A California state court has denied Metalclad Insulation’s efforts to obtain a mistrial in an ongoing remote asbestos trial, concluding that it had not found a substantial likelihood that an interaction between the plaintiff and jurors outside the presence of the judge “influenced the vote of any juror or prejudiced defendant.”

In an Aug. 19 order, the California Superior Court for Alameda County noted that it had taken the allegations seriously and “promptly took steps to investigate the claims and subsequently admonished the jury and imposed new procedures to eliminate the possibility of any further interactions between …