Calif. Court Affirms $12.25 Million Judgment in Favor of 2 Benzene Plaintiffs Against Union Oil

SANTA ANA, Calif. –– A California court has affirmed a $12.25 million verdict entered in favor of two benzene plaintiffs, concluding that there was substantial evidence from which a jury could find that “Union Oil chose cost over human safety.”

In its June 7 opinion, the California Court of Appeal, First Appellate District, Division Two, opined, in part, that the defendant “ignored the whole picture” when attempting to have the court reverse the judgment in favor of the plaintiffs.

The appellate court also rejected an appeal by the plaintiffs attempting to overturn the trial court’s decision to reduce noneconomic …