Court Affirms $7 Million Verdict in Childhood Asbestos Exposure Case

LOS ANGELES - A California appeals court has upheld a more than $7 million verdict awarded to a man who claimed that as a child, he was exposed to asbestos-containing chemical mixtures at his grandfather's laboratory. Bierlich v. Brenntag West, Inc., No. B160158 (Calif. Ct. App., Second Dist.).

In a decision affirming the verdict, the Second District California Court of Appeal held Aug. 28 that the trial court did not err when it granted the plaintiff's motion for a directed verdict as to the defectiveness of one of the defendant's products. In addition, the appeals court held that the trial …