Calif. Court Orders New Trial in Asbestos Case, Cites ‘Inconsistent Verdict’ that Failed to Properly Allocate Liability

LOS ANGELES –– A California trial court has granted an asbestos plaintiff’s motion for a new trial, concluding that an inconsistent jury finding rendered a “verdict which fails to properly allocate liability for damages to an entity that should have been found partly responsible for damages.”

In the May 9 order, the California Superior Court for Los Angeles County ordered a new trial as to both defendants Kaiser Gypsum and Mission Stucco’s liability, specifying that the retrial of proportionate responsibility in Question #20 on the Verdict Sheet applies to all 22 defendants, “and the finding by the previous jury …