On August 30, 2016, a Miami, Florida jury awarded nearly $21.4 million in damages to Richard Batchelor and his wife, Regina, in a case where the plaintiffs alleged that Bechtel Corporation caused his mesothelioma. The case proceeded only against the defendants Bechtel Corporation and Foster Wheeler Energy Corporation, as Foster Wheeler settled the day before the verdict. The verdict sheet demonstrates that, after the jury found that negligence on the part of Bechtel was a legal cause of the plaintiff’s damages, the jury turned to allocation of fault. The jury was asked to state the percentage of fault, which was a legal cause of damage to the plaintiff. The jury assigned 60 percent of fault to Bechtel, 35 percent to Florida Power & Light Company, and 5 percent to Foster Wheeler Energy Corporation.
As to damages, the jury found that the plaintiff sustained damages in the amount of $381,724.12 in medical expenses. The jury found total non-economic damages for Mr. Batchelor of $15,000,000. That figure included $3,000,000 in past and $12,000,000 in future damages. The jury also awarded Regina Batchelor loss of consortium damages totaling $6,000,000. These damages were broken down into $1,000,000 in past damages and $5,000,000 for future damages.