Appeal Court Affirms Award Against Landowner Defendant

SAN FRANCISCO -- A California appellate court has affirmed a $1 million verdict to a former pipefitter who claimed his colon cancer was caused by asbestos exposure, holding that the jury's finding against landowner Exxon Mobil Corp. was proper. Sandy v. Exxon Mobil Corp., et al., No. A114238, A114570, A115782 (Calif. 1st Dist. Ct. App., Div. 2).

The March 27 ruling from the California First Appellate District Court of Appeal rejected several contentions by Exxon Mobil, among them that as a landowner, it did not owe the plaintiff a duty to warn of potential dangers.

Exxon Mobil appealed the verdict, …