Texas Supreme Court Reverses $7.5 Million Silica Verdict

AUSTIN, Texas - The Texas Supreme Court has reversed and remanded a $7.5 million verdict awarded to a former sandblaster who developed silicosis and emphysema as a result of his alleged exposure to silica. U.S. Silica Company v. Estate of Donald Tompkins, No. 03-0195 (Texas Sup. Ct.).

In a three-page opinion issued Jan. 21, the Texas Supreme Court ruled that for the reasons explained in the court's recent decision in Humble Sand & Gravel, Inc. v. Gomez, the judgment rendered on behalf of plaintiff Donald Tompkins should be reversed and remanded for a new trial in the Orange County District …