A San Francisco jury says a bulldozer operator with mesothelioma should be paid $2.2 million for his injuries in what a plaintiff attorney calls the first verdict in the nation involving asbestos exposure from Caterpillar Inc. machinery.
Philip A. Harley of Paul, Hanley & Harley said Caterpillar's portion of the judgment should be about $900,000 because the jury found it only partially liable.
According to Harley, plaintiff Daniel Johnson was exposed to asbestos from Caterpillar bulldozers while doing brake work and other maintenance. Harley said in a post-verdict statement that Johnson was diagnosed with mesothelioma in March 2004 and was recently told he will only live another three to six months.
Details here from the Asbestos Litigation Reporter via FindLaw.