Cases In 1998

Asbestosis, Mesothelioma, and Asbestos Verdicts

Below are summaries of our trials from 1998.

Dying Asbestos Insulator Awarded $4.5 Million

A San Francisco jury awarded a dying asbestos insulator $4,486,000 in damages. The defendants, Raymark Industries, Inc. and Pittsburgh Corning Corporation manufactured asbestos products which the plaintiff used in the 1960s and 1970s.

Fairfield Jury Awards $6.245 Million to 14 Asbestos Plaintiffs

A Fairfield jury awarded 14 plaintiffs of Vacaville, Fairfield and Vallejo, California over $6,245,000 in damages.

Five San Francisco Mesothelioma Victims Awarded $3.8 Million

A San Francisco jury awarded $3,815,100 in five cases to the families of five workers who died of mesothelioma caused by asbestos exposure.

$3.2 Million Verdict Awarded to Eleven Workers Injured By Asbestos Products

San Francisco jury awarded $3,203,800 to ten retired workers and one active worker suffering from asbestosis and asbestos–related pleural disease due to their occupational exposures to asbestos.

Laryngeal Cancer Victims Awarded $3.6 Million For Injuries Caused by Asbestos–containing Drywall

A San Francisco jury returned a verdict in two cases, awarding $3,688,523 to two workers who suffered laryngeal cancer and had their larynxes removed as a result of their occupational exposure to asbestos.

Dying Machinist And Wife Awarded $4.5 Million; Largest Loss of Consortium Verdict in an Asbestos Trial

A San Francisco jury awarded Daniel Wilson, Sr. and his wife, Lois Wilson, $4,591,091.51 in damages. The defendant, John Crane, Inc. manufactured and supplied asbestos products, including packing and gaskets, which Daniel Wilson, Sr. used throughout most of his career working at southwestern United States power plants.

Widow of Asbestos Floor Tile Installer Who Died of Mesothelioma Awarded Nearly $1 Million

A San Francisco jury awarded $995,432.15 to a widow of a flooring mechanic who died of malignant pleural mesothelioma due to his occupational exposure to asbestos.

Selected Verdicts: 1998

James Davidson v. Synkoloid Company
Civil Jury Trial
Superior Court: San Francisco County, California
Judge: Hon. Diane Wick
Trial Type: Products Liability-Personal Injury-Laryngeal Cancer
Case Resolved After Verdict: Excess of $1,500,000
November – December 1998

Hendrick Oranje v. Dowman Products Company
Civil Jury Trial
Superior Court: San Francisco County, California
Judge: Hon. Diane Wick
Trial Type: Products Liability-Laryngeal Cancer
Case Resolved After Verdict: Excess of $2,500,000
October 1998

Barbara Wiggins v. Owens Corning Fiberglas
Pre-Trial/Trial
Superior Court: Los Angeles County, California
Judge: Hon. Frank Gafkowski
Trial Type: Wrongful Death-Products Liability-Lung Cancer
Case Resolved During Trial: Excess of $200,000
September 1998

Daniel Wilson v. John Crane Co.
Civil Jury Trial
Superior Court: San Francisco County, California
Judge: Hon. Douglas Munson
Trial Type: Personal Injury-Products Liability-Mesothelioma
Pending on Appeal After Verdict: Excess of $4,500,000
July 1998

Dale Walker v. Owens Corning Fiberglas
Civil Jury Trial
Superior Court: Orange County, California
Judge: Hon. James McDonald
Trial Type: Personal Injury-Products Liability-Asbestosis
Case Resolved Prior to Entering Punitive Phase: Excess of $100,000
June 1998

Gerald Baer, et al. v. Owens Corning
Civil Jury Trial
Superior Court: Orange County, California
Judge: Hon. Phillip Petty
Trial Type: Personal Injury-Products Liability-Asbestosis
Case Resolved After Verdict
April – May 1998

Raymond Burks v. Owens Corning Fiberglas
Civil Jury Trial
Superior Court: San Francisco County, California
Judge: Hon. Douglas Munson
Trial Type: Wrongful Death-Products Liability-Asbestosis
Resolved After Verdict
February 1998

Gerald August, et al. v. Raymark Industries, Inc.
Civil Jury Trial
Superior Court: Solano County, California
Judge: Hon. Richard Harris
Trial Type: Personal Injury-Wrongful Death-Conspiracy-Asbestosis
Raymark Filed for Bankruptcy After Verdicts: Excess of $6,500,000
October – February 1997-1998