Trial Judge Upholds Verdict and $5.8 Million Award in Cooley

CLEVELAND - U.S. District Judge Kathleen M. O'Malley has concluded that there was "substantial evidence" to support a 2009 jury verdict in a welding fume case and she has affirmed a $5,848,464.79 award for the plaintiff that includes $5 million in punitive damages. Cooley v. Lincoln Electric Co., et al., No. 1:05-cv-17734-KMO (N.D. Ohio).

The judge issued her 103-page Memorandum and Order on March 7, affirming the verdict reached in favor of 59-year-old Curt Cooley and against four welding products manufacturers on Oct. 6, 2009.

Jurors awarded $1.25 million in compensatory damages, which were reduced to $787,500 because of Cooley's …