Pain, Suffering Award Reduced on Appeal; Court Orders New Trial on Punitive Amount

A jury’s $14 million award for future pain and suffering to a man with mesothelioma was reduced to $1 million by the California Court of Appeal, which said the jury award was based on a misunderstanding or was attributable to passion or prejudice (Kelemen v. John Crane Inc., Cal. Ct. App., No. B221778).

In a Sept. 7 decision, the California Court of Appeal, Second Appellate District, also called for a new trial on the amount of punitive damages, erasing the $4.5 million punitive award against John Crane Inc., a manufacturer and seller of packing and gaskets that ...