Calif. Appellate Court Affirms Asbestos Verdict, Rejects Challenges to Medical Cost Testimony, Settlement Setoffs

OAKLAND, Calif. –– A California court has affirmed an asbestos verdict entered in a cement case, concluding that the trial court had not improperly allowed medical cost testimony or miscalculated settlement setoffs.

The Dec. 9 opinion from the California First Appellate District Court of Appeal, Division Five, was the second time the court has weighed in on the verdict.

In the underlying complaint, the plaintiffs argued that Frank C. Hart developed mesothelioma as a result of exposure to asbestos. Hart cut asbestos-cement pipe for new sewer lines during his employment in the 1970s. The plaintiffs filed their complaint in 2016 …