Results

Plaintiff v. Manufacturer of Industrial Steam-Generation Equipment

August 2012

Sedgwick obtained a favorable appellate ruling on behalf of our client, a manufacturer of industrial steam-generation equipment, before the California Court of Appeal. The plaintiffs sued our client and many others, alleging that the decedent contracted mesothelioma due to exposure to asbestos fibers released from insulation employed in conjunction with various items of equipment used to generate steam power at a refinery. Sedgwick was not trial counsel during the jury trial.  The jury awarded the plaintiffs $9.94 million, with $475,000 allocated to our client.  While our client's appeal was pending, the California Supreme Court ruled that a product manufacturer is not liable for injuries caused by products produced and sold by others, and used in conjunction with the manufacturer's product, except (possibly) under certain limited circumstances.  Since this new law was not available to guide the trial court and the parties at the time of trial, the appellate court vacated the award against our client and remanded for a new trial.