Jury Delivers $3.9 Million Verdict in Asbestos Lawsuit

By Brian Cole

Published on September 22, 2006

Joseph Henderson Norris was a gunner’s mate in the Navy aboard the U.S.S. Bremerton from 1955 to 1957. He died in August 2006 from mesothelioma, an incurable form of cancer that affects the lining of the lungs. He lived a mere 16 months after being diagnosed with the disease. Mesothelioma can take years or, as in the case of Norris, decades to appear following asbestos exposure.

Attorneys for the Norris family told jurors that the dangers of asbestos have been known since the early part of the 20th century, yet Crane Co. negligently failed to provide adequate warnings to those who used their products.

The jury consisted equally of men and women and found Crane Co. liable after five-and-a-half days of deliberation.

The case was tried in Los Angeles Superior Court before Judge Victor E. Chavez.

Based in Stamford, Connecticut, Crane Co. manufactures industrial products and employs over 10,000 people worldwide.

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