Corporate Damage Control Follows Halliburton Asbestos Verdict, Stock Plunge

photo-7 ic Wendichen Halliburton Co. filed a Form 8-K with the Securities and Exchange Commission in November, informing investors that, over the course of a week, it had more than $150 million in asbestos-related judgments entered against it, the world barely took notice.

There was little fan fare, close to no press, and the company's stock chart continued to maintain its $20 grade, making it look more like a flat line on a hospital room heart monitor than the grids of a corporate behemoth once run by Vice President Dick Cheney.

The company learned quickly, however, that the figures …