Case Style: John Russell, et al v. Alcatel-Lucent Managed Solutions, LLC, et al, In the Superior Court of the State of California for the County of Los Angeles, No. BC 386030

Plaintiff(s): John Russell and Esther Russell

Defendant(s): Ford Motor Company

Verdict Date: Thursday, August 28, 2008

Facts: John Russell, a 72-year old California resident, suffers from mesothelioma caused by asbestos exposure. Russell was diagnosed with mesothelioma in October of 2007. Russell worked as a delivery driver for an auto parts store in the mid 1950s. During that time, Russell was regularly exposed to asbestos from friction products, including Ford brake linings, as a bystander during arcing and grinding in the machine shop.

The jury returned a substantial verdict in favor of the Russell family. The jury assessed significant non-economic damages and economic damages. The jury found that Ford’s brakes were defective because they failed to contain warnings of the inherent dangers of asbestos in the products. The jury also found that Ford was negligent.

“Ford has refused to take responsibility for their deadly asbestos products for decades. The jury concluded that Ford knew about the dangers of asbestos in their brakes since at least the 1940s, but never bothered to warn anyone until almost 40 years later. As it turns out, that was far too late to help John Russell. It gives us a great deal of satisfaction to know that Ford has finally been forced to take responsibility for their shameful inaction,” said David Greenstone, lead counsel for the Russell family.

Ford Motor Company was assessed 10% fault for causing Russell’s mesothelioma.

Plaintiff attorneys: David Greenstone and Jonathan George, Simon, Eddins & Greenstone, LLP, Dallas, Texas and Long Beach, California.

Defense attorneys: Eugene Brown, Filice Brown Eassa & McLeod, LLP in Oakland, CA

Judge: Honorable Paul Gutman, Dept. 34

Plaintiff experts: Dr. Arnold Brody (cell biologist), Dr. Edwin Holstein (occupational medicine doctor), Dr. Robert Cameron (treating surgical pathologist), and David Fractor (economist).

Defense experts: Norman Moscow, Brent Finley, Bob Kelsh, William Dyson, and Alberto Marchevsky