Torts-Products Liability-Occupational Exposure

Defendant appealed the jury’s verdict in favor of plaintiff on his injury claim stemming from his occupational exposure to chemicals manufactured by defendant that were purchased for use by plaintiff’s employer. Defendant challenged the reliability of plaintiff’s experts’ testimony.

Where plaintiff’s experts provided sufficient records to establish their qualifications to opine on the subjects of their testimony, the trial court did not err in admitting the experts’ testimony, and the trial court appropriately admitted evidence of the presence of chemicals manufactured by other parties at plaintiff’s employer’s plant. There was also sufficient evidence of the severity of defendant’s conduct to support an award of punitive damages.

Judgment is affirmed in part and dismissed in part.

Graham v. Givaudan Flavors Corporation (MLW No. 84595/Case No. ED113318 – 25 pages) (Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District, Torbitzky, J.) Appealed from circuit court, Marion County, Shepherd, J. (Thomas William Hayde Jr., Booker T. Shaw, Kimberly Ramundo, and Dominic Anthony Ferrante for appellant) (Michael Scott Ketchmark and Tom Richardson Burcham III for respondent)