Mississippi Jury Awards Man $322 Million in Asbestos Lawsuit

According to the Associated Press, a jury has awarded $322 million to a Mississippi man who claimed he inhaled asbestos dust while mixing drilling mud sold and manufactured by Chevron Phillips Chemical Co. and Union Carbide Corp. Allen Hossley, an attorney who represented Thomas C. Brown, said he believed the verdict was the largest awarded in a single plaintiff''s asbestos case. The jury awarded $300 million in punitive damages and $22 million in actual damages. The verdict was handed down after more than two weeks of testimony. The jury found the companies liable for defectively designing their product and failing to provide an adequate warning to workers. Brown, 48, has asbestosis and requires oxygen 24 hours a day. The drilling mud was sold by Chevron Phillips Chemical and manufactured bkeepy Union Carbide. Chevron Phillips Chemical will appeal.