Calif. Jury Reaches Verdict in Favor of Maremont Corp. in Asbestos-Containing Brake Linings Case
LOS ANGELES –– A California jury has reached a verdict in favor of Maremont Corp., rejecting claims asserted on behalf of a man who was allegedly exposed to the defendant’s brake linings while working in an assembly line.
The California Superior Court for Los Angeles County jury reached the verdict on April 4. Judge H. Chester Horn presided over the trial.
Hiroko Felton brought the claims, contending that her husband, Donald L. Felton, was exposed to asbestos-containing products while working in a brake and clutch remanufacturing plant, Ace Brake Supply, during the 1950s. According to the plaintiff, Felton developed pleural mesothelioma as a result of the exposure.
Felton worked on the assembly line at Ace Brake Supply and worked with the defendant’s brake linings, the plaintiffs said. The plaintiffs further explained that in his position in the assembly line, Felton stood at a grinding station, where he ground 500 brakes per day.
Maremont Corp, a manufacturer of brake linings, was the lone remaining defendant at the time of the verdict.
During trial, the defendant argued that the plaintiff had no markers of asbestos exposure and, further, that epidemiological studies show that exposure to asbestos in brakes does not cause mesothelioma.
Maremont also contended that its products were not defective and any exposure the plaintiff did incur was a result of the employer’s failure to provide proper ventilation protection.
Sources told HarrisMartin that no evidence of contact with asbestos other than brake-related exposure was presented at trial.
Testifying on behalf of the defendant were Dr. Michael Graham, John Henshaw, CIH, and David Garabrant.
Testifying on behalf of the plaintiffs were Dr. Arnold Brody, Dr. Carl Brodkin, William Ewing and Dr. Murray Finkelstein.
Felton, et al. v. Davison-Conroy Inc., et al., No. BC468041 (Calif. Super. Ct., Los Angeles Cty.).
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