Owens-Illinois Litigation

Client:	Owens-Illinois, Inc.
Representation:	Wrongful death defense
Date:	2007
Locations:	Los Angeles, California

Summary:

This 11-week long product liability trial in Los Angeles County Superior Court involved a claim that the plaintiff contracted an asbestos-related cancer from alleged use of our client's product decades earlier. Plaintiff's counsel sought $20 million in damages as well as a "malice" finding that would open the door to further punitive damages in a second trial phase.

Schiff Hardin attorneys from our Chicago and San Francisco offices argued that the plaintiff's cancer had been misdiagnosed, and that the disease he actually had was not, in fact, asbestos-related. They also presented an aggressive defense of our client's conduct. After less than one day of deliberation, the jury returned a verdict in favor of our client.

Opal Geraldine Beauchamp et al. vs. Owens-Illinois, Inc. (Los Angeles Superior Court Case No. BC 357289)