Weil-McLain Wins Dismissal of $6.5M Asbestos Verdict

Weil-McLain, Inc. won dismissal of a $6.5 million asbestos verdict due to improper statements made to the jury by plaintiff’s counsel.

Counsel for the estate of Larry Kinseth violated pretrial orders by improperly commenting on the boilermaker’s deep pockets and urging the jury to “send a message” to the company, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled.

The reference to prior suits against the company also violated pretrial orders, the court said.

“The inescapable theme” of the plaintiff’s closing argument was that Weil-McLain chose “to spend exorbitant sums of money defending asbestos actions instead of compensating innocent victims, and this case is ...