Illinois Jury Returns Defense Verdict for Premises Defendants

ROBINSON, Ill. -- An Illinois jury has returned a defense verdict on all counts for the two remaining defendants in a mesothelioma lawsuit. Vera Yeager v. Marathon Oil Co., et al., No. 2002-L-17 (Ill. Cir. Ct., Crawford Cty.).

The defense verdict was rendered on Sept. 16 in the Illinois Crawford County Circuit Court, where the case was tried before Judge David Correll. According to sources, all the manufacturer and contractor defendants settled or received summary judgment prior to trail, leaving only premise liability claims pending against defendants Eli Lilly and Co. and Millenium Petrochemical.

Plaintiff Steve Yeager contended that as …