Court will Rule on Appeal of Reversed $2 Million Verdict Without Argument

JACKSON, Miss. -- The Mississippi Supreme Court will decide whether the reversal of a $2 million benzene verdict was erroneous without hearing oral arguments, according to a docket entry on the court's Web site. Watts v. Radiator Specialty and United States Steel Corp., No. 2006-CA-01128 (Miss. Sup. Ct.).

On Jan. 8, the appellate court entered a notice that the case was submitted without a request for oral argument.

Plaintiff Milton Watts has appealed the reversal of the verdict, saying the court had a prior opportunity to exclude the testimony on which it based its reversal and declined to do so. …