Asbestos Defendant Granted New Trial, Court Finds Jury Verdict 'Irreconcilably Inconsistent'

SAN FRANCISCO -- A California appellate court has affirmed an order granting a defendant's motion for a new trial, opining that the jury's findings were irreconcilably inconsistent. Jones v. Leslie Controls, Inc., et al., No. A106161 (Calif. Ct. App., 1st Dist.).

The July 7 opinion by the First District of the California Court of Appeals opined that because a jury had failed to find a defect in the defendant's product, it did not have any other basis for finding the defendant negligent.

Plaintiff Elleree Jones claimed that her husband, Edward Jones, was exposed to asbestos-containing products, causing his lung cancer …