A multi-state Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani team, including Dallas Partner Jason Irvin and Chicago Partner Haley Hansen, secured a defense verdict for their client, a heavy-duty truck manufacturer, in a seven-week asbestos-related non-smoking lung cancer trial in Los Angeles County, California.
The plaintiff claimed that his work as a truck driver exposed him to friction products, such as brakes and clutches, which contributed to the development of his lung cancer. The plaintiff sought more than $70 million in damages at closing.
The GRSM team effectively demonstrated that the plaintiff’s disease was not asbestos-related, pointing to the objective markers of secondhand smoke exposure and lack of any objective asbestos-related evidence. After detailed deliberations, the jury found that asbestos was not a substantial factor in the cause of the plaintiff’s lung cancer.
This successful outcome was obtained with the support of Atlanta Partner Eric Hawkins, Walnut Creek Associate Brikk Bralley, and San Francisco Paralegal Danielle Downs.
Learn more about GRSM’s Asbestos & Talc practice.