Mass. Jury Awards $43.1 Million at Conclusion of Asbestos-Tobacco Trial; Defense Verdict Reached for Remaining Asbestos Defendant

BOSTON –– Massachusetts jurors have awarded $43.1 million at the end of a joint asbestos-tobacco trial, but reached a defense verdict for the lone asbestos defendant remaining in the trial at the time of the decision.

The Massachusetts Superior Court for Suffolk County jury reached the verdict on Oct. 12 after four days of deliberations, finding tobacco defendant R.J. Reynolds liable on all counts. While the case –– believed to be the first asbestos-tobacco case ever tried in Massachusetts –– was originally filed in Middlesex County, it was tried in Suffolk County, sources told HarrisMartin. Judge Heidi Brieger presided over …