Trial Archives - Asbestos Case Tracker

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Chicago Jury Returns $24.4M Plaintiff Verdict in Talc Trial

Court: Circuit Court of Cook County

A Cook County jury on July 29 returned a Plaintiff’s verdict after a weeks-long trial against personal care and cosmetic manufacturer Avon Products Inc.

Plaintiff Cipriano Ramirez worked as a janitor at an Avon facility in Morton Grove, Illinois in the 1980s. The facility produced various products, including talcum powder-based products. Mr. Ramirez alleged he was exposed to asbestos-contaminated talcum powder during his time working at the facility, which eventually led to his 2023 pleural mesothelioma diagnosis. The …

May 24, 2024 Massachusetts / Trial

Posted by: Susan R. Allen-Robbins

Gasket/Packing Manufacturer Prevails after Jury Trial

Court: United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts

Decedent Arnold L. Pritt was diagnosed with singular mesothelioma, epithelioid type in September 2019. He alleged he was exposed to asbestos during his service in the U.S. Navy and as a civilian electrician. During his service, Pritt served aboard the USS Purdy as a machinist mate from December 1961 to August 1964. He often installed asbestos sheet gaskets and removed and replaced valve and pump packing. He alleged exposure to a number of manufacturer’s gaskets, flanges, pumps, and valves, …

April 23, 2024 Florida / Talc / Trial / Verdict

Posted by: Nicole Caspers

Florida Jury Returns Defense Verdict in Ovarian Cancer Trial

Court: United States District Court, Middle District of Florida

On Thursday April 18, a Florida jury found the talcum powder in Johnson & Johnson’s baby powder product did not cause the ovarian cancer of deceased Sarasota County resident Patricia Matthey.

The plaintiffs alleged in their complaint that J&J suppressed scientific evidence linking talc products to increased cancer risk and that the corporation knew for decades that the talc used in its baby powder could be contaminated with asbestos. At trial, J&J argued that there was …

April 23, 2024 Illinois / Talc / Trial / Verdict

Posted by: Nicole Caspers

Chicago Jury Returns $45M Plaintiffs Verdict in Talc Trial

Court: Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois

On April 19, a Chicago jury ordered Johnson & Johnson to pay $45 million to the family of a Cook County woman named Theresa Garcia who died from mesothelioma, allegedly caused by exposure to asbestos in various talc powder products.

Plaintiffs claimed that Theresa Garcia inhaled asbestos fibers contained in the talc, citing to lab tests, which demonstrated talc products could contain small amounts of asbestos, which they say could then cause mesothelioma.

In a statement issued following …

March 17, 2023 New York / Trial

Posted by: Elizabeth Lautenbach Adams

Joint Compound Defendant Post-Trial Motions Denied

Court: Supreme Court of the State of New York, County of New York

In this asbestos action, Munir Seen alleged he developed mesothelioma from asbestos exposure from various products, including joint compound from defendant Kaiser. The plaintiff’s experts included Drs. Jacqueline Moline and David Rosner. In June 2022, a jury awarded the plaintiff $15 million and allocated 70 percent of the fault to Kaiser. Following the trial, Kaiser moved for three forms of post-trial relief. Ultimately, the court denied Kaiser’s motions in their entirety.

Kaiser …

August 13, 2021 Louisiana / Trial / Verdict

Posted by: Elizabeth Lautenbach Adams

Parish of Orleans Jury Renders Over $8 Million Dollar Verdict for Plaintiff After Three-Week Trial

Civil District Court for the Parish of Orleans, Louisiana, August 12, 2021

In this matter, Steven “Joe” Aaron Sr. alleged causes of action of negligence and strict liability against defendant Ford. Aaron alleged exposure from asbestos-containing brakes and clutches associated with Ford vehicles while working as a gas station and school bus mechanic in the 1960s and 1970s. Aaron was diagnosed with mesothelioma over one year ago. Following a three-week trial before Judge Ethel Simms Julien, the jury found for Aaron on both counts and …

January 13, 2021 Louisiana / Trial

Posted by: Jessica Saad

Jury Verdict Found Consistent as Exposure May Not Be Substantial Contributing Factor of Disease

Supreme Court of Louisiana, January 12, 2021

The plaintiffs sued various defendants alleging that the decedent (Bagwell) developed mesothelioma caused by asbestos exposure which resulted in his death. At trial, the jury rendered a verdict in favor of the plaintiffs against the decedent’s employer, RMC, finding it 75 percent at fault. CAPCO, a non-party defendant, was found 25 percent at fault. The jury assigned no fault to Union Carbide Corporation (UCC) and Montello, Inc., the manufacturer and the distributor of asbestos-containing products. The trial court …

December 23, 2020 State / Trial

Posted by: Jessica Saad

New Trial Denied Against Boiler Manufacturer; Jury Verdict Not Against Weight of the Evidence

Superior Court of Delaware, December 22, 2020

On December 20, 2019, following a 10-day jury trial, a jury returned a verdict in favor of Cleaver Brooks, Inc. (Cleaver Brooks), the sole defendant at trial. The jury found that this defendant nor any of the other non-party entities listed on the verdict sheet failed to meet the standard of care of providing a safe work place or defective product to the decedent, Gary Stimson.

During trial, each side presented expert testimony on the issue of whether …

October 7, 2020 Discovery / Trial / Washington

Posted by: Jessica Saad

Motion to Exclude Testimony of Witnesses Denied; No Duty to Remind of Witnesses Existence

U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington

Defendant Auburn Technology Inc. filed a motion to exclude testimony of three witnesses who were shipmates of the plaintiff’s decedent. Several other defendants joined in on the motion. The defendants argued that the witnesses were not properly disclosed until the very end of discovery and should therefore be excluded under Fed. R. Civ. P. 37.

By way of background, in the summer of 2019, the plaintiffs made their initial disclosures, identifying the muster rolls for the …

March 9, 2020 North Carolina / Trial

Posted by: Jillian E. Madison

Defendant’s Collateral Estoppel Argument Fails in Motion For JMOL

United States District Court, E.D. North Carolina, Western Division, March 5, 2020

NORTH CAROLINA – On June 9, 2015, Wade Miller Gore (decedent) and Faye Gore (plaintiff) filed an asbestos-related lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina. The complaint alleged that the decedent was exposed to asbestos products while working at the DuPont plant in Leland, NC.

Trial began on Sept. 16, 2019 with the plaintiff’s case-in-chief concluding on Sept. 20, 2019. At that time, the defendant, John Crane, …