Montana Jury Awards Oregon Man Millions Over Asbestos Exposure
February 23, 2022 2:50PM PST
Credit: MGN
BUTTE, Mont. (AP) – A Montana jury has awarded $36.5 million in damages to an Oregon man who suffers from lung disease because of exposure to asbestos while working at a vermiculite mine in Libby.
The jury on Friday awarded Ralph Hutt $6.5 million in compensatory damages and $30 million in punitive damages.
Hutt was one of more than 880 plaintiffs who filed a lawsuit against W.R. Grace & Co.’s workers compensation insurance provider, Maryland Casualty Company.
A judge overseeing a special asbestos claims court in Montana chose Hutt’s case as the lead case to settle complex legal questions fur future cases. Zurich Insurance, which acquired Maryland Casualty, declined to comment.
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