Baron & Budd, P.C. Announces Substantial Damages Verdict; Settlement for Two Families of Mesothelioma Victims

PHILADELPHIA, Penn. (December 21, 2009) –– Dallas-based Baron & Budd, P.C. has announced a very substantial Phase I damages verdict for two families of mesothelioma victims. The men were exposed to asbestos from numerous products including Garlock Sealing Technologies (Garlock) asbestos gaskets and Crane Co. valves.

Just before the Pennsylvania jury returned its damages verdict, Crane Co. reached a confidential settlement with the families. Because of the settlement, the only remaining defendant when the jury returned its damages verdict was Garlock. The jury found that both men suffered from mesothelioma caused by exposure to asbestos and that the two families’ damages combined to $17 million dollars.

When the jury began to hear evidence about Garlock’s responsibility for their injuries, Garlock argued that the plaintiffs could prove that their gaskets, as they were used by the two men, contributed to their risk of mesothelioma. The evidence showed that Garlock gaskets contained between 75 and 90 percent asbestos. The jury saw a document—which Garlock tried unsuccessfully to exclude—in which Garlock admitted that the its asbestos-containing gaskets could cause mesothelioma. Garlock reached a confidential settlement with the families shortly thereafter.

“This was a hard fought legal battle, and we are thrilled that justice has been done for these families,” said Baron & Budd.

About Baron & Budd, P.C.
Dallas-based Baron & Budd, P.C., with offices in Baton Rouge, Austin and Beverly Hills, is a nationally recognized firm with more than three decades of experience representing people and communities harmed by corporate negligence. It has been recognized repeatedly by the National Law Journal’s “Plaintiffs’ Hot List” (2002-2006, 2008; Incisive Media). The firm resolved one of the first asbestos cases in the United States in the 1970s and continues to serve people diagnosed with mesothelioma and asbestos-related lung cancer—as our case results reflect—as well as communities and consumers dealing with the costs of fraud and corporate misconduct.