Published:
Asbestos Verdict Upheld by California Court of Appeals, Announces Baron & Budd
LOS ANGELES, May 16 /PRNewswire/ -- On March 11th, eighteen months after
winning a $3.9 million wrongful death verdict in Los Angeles Superior Court
againstStamford, Conn.-based Crane Co. (NYSE: CR) on behalf of the family of
a U.S. Navy veteran who died from his exposure to asbestos, Baron & Budd, P.C.
has announced that the verdict was affirmed by theCalifornia Court of
Appeals.
Attorneys John Langdoc and Renee Melancon fromDallas' Baron & Budd
represented the wife and adult children of Joseph Henson Norris, who died in
August 2006 from mesothelioma, an incurable cancer caused by asbestos
exposure. The lawsuit itself was unique in that Mr. Norris contracted the
disease through "bystander exposure" and Crane Co. was not a manufacturer of
asbestos products, but a user of asbestos components.
"John, Renee and our entire trial team have not stopped working to prove,
first to the jury, then to the Court of Appeals, how the defendants could have
prevented this terrible tragedy," says Russell W. Budd, managing shareholder
of Baron & Budd. "The Court ruled unanimously that a company cannot use a
dangerous component, then disclaim responsibility for the harm it inflicts on
innocent people."
Mr. Norris was exposed to asbestos while working as a gunner's mate in the
U.S. Navy from 1955 to 1957. Crane Co., a manufacturer of industrial products
with more than 10,000 employees worldwide, previously manufactured valves with
asbestos gaskets and asbestos packing materials that were used aboard Mr.
Norris' ship, the U.S.S. Bremerton. Crane Co. also sold its own line of
asbestos-containing gasket materials from 1920 until 1972.
The dangers of asbestos have been widely known since the early 1900s, but
Crane Co. continued to manufacture and sell asbestos-containing products
throughout the last century without researching asbestos dangers, testing the
products for asbestos hazards, or warning end users, according to Melancon.
"To have exposed our country's selfless military members to this dangerous
substance was inexcusable," said Melancon. "On behalf of Mr. Norris and his
family, we are proud to have won and upheld the first successful asbestos
verdict against Crane Co."
The effects of asbestos exposure, including the onset of diseases like
mesothelioma and asbestosis, can take years or even decades to surface.
Nearly 50 years passed before Mr. Norris began exhibiting symptoms of
mesothelioma. He was diagnosed in April 2005, and lived only 16 months after
learning he had the disease.
About Baron & Budd, P.C.
Since 1977, the law firm of Baron & Budd, P.C. has championed the rights
of people and communities harmed by corporate misconduct. With more than
80 attorneys and offices inNew York,Ohio,Louisiana,Texas andCalifornia,
Baron & Budd enjoys a national reputation as a leader of the plaintiffs' bar.
The firm represents individuals with mesothelioma and other diseases caused by
asbestos; leukemia caused by benzene; injuries caused by other toxic
substances and unsafe pharmaceuticals; water authorities seeking clean-up
costs for drinking water contamination; securities investors defrauded by
corporate wrongdoing; and consumers in class actions.
CONTACT: Susan Knape of Baron & Budd, P.C. 214-523-6226
SOURCE Baron & Budd, P.C.
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Copyright © 2009, NewsBlaze,
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