Virginia Jury Awards $10.4 Million

July 27, 2006 - The widow of a man who died of asbestos-related lung cancer at age 60 was awarded the sum of $10.4 million in a wrongful death suit brought against three companies that supplied products to his employer, shipbuilder Northrup Gruman Newport News (VA).

Family members say Buddy Jones came home from his job every day – for four years – covered in asbestos dust.  Jones made gaskets and sealing pumps at Northrup Gruman.  He died a year ago.

An article in The Daily Press reports that of the thousands of asbestos lawsuits that have come before the Newport News Circuit Court, the verdict was the biggest award the court clerk could recall. 

The attorney representing Jones' widow called the verdict “a landmark” because a third of the judgment will come from a company, John Crane Inc., which made sealing products with asbestos but hasn't agreed to settle any such cases.

"A lot of these companies now accept responsibility and settle these cases regularly," Hatten said. "I hope this verdict will make companies like John Crane change their corporate attitude."

The award came on the one-year anniversary of Jones’ death and was a bittersweet victory for his widow, Wanda, who was present at most of the three-week-long trial.

"It's a mixed day," she said. "At least there's been some justice and recognition for what he went through, certainly through no fault of his own. He just went to work and did what he was trained to do on the job."

John Crane, Inc. has denied responsibility, saying that their products are perfectly safe and have not caused harm to workers.  They will appeal the verdict. The remainder of the responsibility is split between Denver-based Johns Manville Corp. - a unit of Berkshire Hathaway that makes roofing, insulation and other industrial materials - and Garlock Sealing Technologies, a Palmyra, N.Y., a unit of EnPro Industries Inc. in Charlotte, N.C.