Asbestos in Shipyards - $1.2 Million Judgment
A jury in Newport News, Virginia awarded the family of a retired Navy sailor, Gerald Gray, $1.2 million in a lawsuit against a ship parts manufacturer alleging that Mr. Gray died of lung cancer caused by asbestos exposure. Mr. Gray was age 75 when he died. Unfortunately, he did not survive long enough to see the jury return the verdict against John Crane, Inc., an Illinois parts manufacturer of gaskets and others parts used on ships in shipyards that shipyard workers like Gray repaired.
The total jury award was $4 million against five manufacturers. The jury, however, was instructed to assign blame to each shipyard related asbestos manufacturer and apportioned $1.2 million of liability to John Crane, Inc. The jury did not know that the remaining four manufacturers already settled out of court for undisclosed amounts and, therefore, the liability findings against them will not become part of the final judgment. The jury concluded that ship part manufacturer John Crane, which fought the case, was responisible for 30% of the damages in the case. Read more about asbestos in shipyards.