Jury Finds for Maritime Defendant in Living Mesothelioma Lawsuit

SAN FRANCISCO -- A jury has returned a defense verdict in an asbestos exposure lawsuit, in part determining that because the ship on which the plaintiff's exposure allegedly occurred was cut up into sections, the site of exposure could not be considered a vessel for purposes of maritime jurisdiction. Kruger, et al. v. SeaRiver Maritime, et al., No. CGC-03-427234 (Calif. Super. Ct., San Francisco Cty.).

In a verdict rendered Nov. 3 in the San Francisco Superior Court, jurors also found that while defendant SeaRiver Maritime was negligent, the defendant's negligence was not the cause of the plaintiff's mesothelioma.

Plaintiff Ernst …