Virginia Circuit Court
In this asbestos action, plaintiff Patricia Katcham filed suit claiming that her husband, James Katcham, had occupational exposure to asbestos because of his career as a millwright. It was specifically alleged that Mr. Katcham had occupational asbestos exposure by working with gaskets, packing and other asbestos-containing products while employed as a millwright at the DuPont Spruance plant in the 1960s and 1970s. This asbestos exposure purportedly resulted in Mr. Katcham contracting mesothelioma, which caused his death. In a declaration provided before his passing, Mr. Katcham testified that he routinely used gaskets and packing on pumps and valves manufactured by the defendant, John Crane, Inc., and that he would use hammers, hand scrapers and power wire brushes while installing and removing these products while employed as a millwright at DuPont.
On September 24, 2024, this case proceeded to trial against John Crane as the only remaining defendant. It was claimed that John Crane failed to provide warnings or safety instructions associated with the asbestos-containing gaskets and packing. It was also alleged that John Crane breached the implied warranty of safety by selling an unreasonably dangerous product without sufficient warnings. At trial, the plaintiff relied upon expert testimony from William Longo, Ph.D. (electron microscopist expert) and John Maddox, M.D. (pathologist expert). John Crane, meanwhile, relied upon expert testimony from Allan Feingold, M.D. (pulmonologist expert) and John Henshaw, CIH (former OSHA director and certified industrial hygienist expert). On October 9, the jury returned a verdict in favor of the plaintiff and awarded $3.45 million in damages.
Read the full decision here.