Wis. Jury Awards $26.5 Million at Conclusion of Asbestos Trial Against Pabst Brewing Co.

MILWAUKEE –– A Wisconsin jury has awarded $26.5 million at the conclusion of an asbestos trial, in part finding that lone remaining defendant Pabst Brewing Company LLC had acted with intentional disregard to the rights of the plaintiff, triggering a punitive damage award.

Jurors in the Wisconsin Circuit Court for Milwaukee County subsequently determined in an Oct. 6 verdict that the plaintiffs were entitled to $20 million in punitive damages. Pabst Brewing Co. was allocated 22 percent liability of the $6.5 million compensatory damage award.

The claims, filed on behalf of Gerald “Jerry” Lorbiecki, were brought under Wisconsin’s Safe Place …