Attorneys obtained a defense verdict after a three week jury trial in which plaintiff alleged that he had developed mesothelioma, as a result of working with welding rods manufactured by defendant

Attorneys obtained a defense verdict after a three week jury trial in which plaintiff alleged that he had developed mesothelioma, as a result of working with welding rods manufactured by defendant. Plaintiff was 80 years old at the time of trial and asserted that the flux coating on welding rods released respirable asbestos fibers into the air when manipulated which the plaintiff inhaled over many years while working as a steamfitter from 1950's until the 1970's. On the eve of trial, plaintiff produced two cans of defendant's welding rods containing asbestos that he contended were removed from a jobsite over thirty years ago and stored in his garage. Defense attorney argued that, because the asbestos in the flux coating is encapsulated in a sodium silicate binder, it was not possible that fibers of the proper size and shape could be released and inhaled by the plaintiff. After deliberating for about seven hours, the jury returned an unanimous verdict in favor of defendant.