Jury Reaches Defense Verdict in Case Against John Crane

SAN FRANCISCO -- A California jury has entered a verdict in favor of lone remaining defendant John Crane, rejecting claims asserted on behalf of a former U.S. Navy pipefitter. Gowan v. John Crane Inc., No. 450421 (Calif. Super. Ct., San Francisco Cty.).

The San Francisco County Superior Court jury reached the verdict on Sept. 2, having found that while John Crane's packing products failed to perform as safely as an ordinary consumer would have expected, this failure was not a cause of the decedent's mesothelioma.

Judge Marla A. Miller presided over the trial.

Plaintiff Billie Gowan claimed that her …