Case Results

VERDICT - $11,400,000

TOTAL SETTLEMENTS - Confidential

Mata v. Liberty Utilities (Park Water)

Case Description: This was a personal injury mesothelioma disputed liability case that went to verdict in 2018. Alfred Mata (65 years old) was diagnosed with mesothelioma due to his father Francisco bringing asbestos fibers home on his work clothes for over a decade. Francisco Mata worked for Liberty Utilities (then known as Park Water) for 15 years and regularly cut, installed, and repaired asbestos cement pipe using power tools. We proved that Park Water ignored CAL-OSHA safety rules and repeatedly exposed Francisco to asbestos long after it was known to be hazardous. Not only did the jury find Park Water responsible for causing Alfred’s mesothelioma, but they also found that Park Water acted with malice and awarded a punitive damages award of $5 million. The total verdict was $11.4 million. The case settled in total for a confidential amount with all other defendants. At the conclusion of this trial, Mark Bratt who was lead trial counsel was recognized by the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles for his work on this case with a 2018 Los Angeles Trial Lawyer of the Year Nomination.

VERDICT - $27,400,000

Johnson v. Johnson & Johnson (talc)

Case Description: This was a personal injury disputed liability talc/mesothelioma trial in 2021. Shawn “Val” Johnson (61 years old), an accomplished engineer, was diagnosed with mesothelioma after using Johnson & Johnson talc baby powder for decades. He used it on himself from the mid-1960s through the late 1970s and on his seven children from 1985 through 2019. The evidence established that J&J knew that its talc baby powder contained asbestos since at least the 1950s yet it failed to pull it off the market or warn consumers. After a 38 day trial, the jury found J&J responsible for causing Mr. Johnson’s mesothelioma under theories of negligence, manufacturing defect, design defect, and failure to warn. The jury also found that J&J acted with malice and awarded punitive damages. Mark Bratt was the primary attorney who worked up the case from filing until the trial but was unable to directly participate in the trial due to an emergency medical procedure. The case was tried to verdict by Danny Kraft.

VERDICT - $5,204,048 (with a Malice finding)

TOTAL SETTLEMENTS - Confidential

Malek v. Fluor

Case Description: This was a personal injury mesothelioma disputed liability case that went to verdict in 2017. Farid Malek (82 years old) was born in Iran and moved to the United States in the early 1980s. He was exposed to asbestos while working for the National Iranian Oil Company at its Abadan Refinery. The US-based engineering company Fluor was hired to help build several large refinery units in the 1960s and 1970s. We proved that Mr. Malek was exposed to asbestos while giving dignitaries tours of Fluor’s work which included observing dusty insulation work. Long after it was legal to use asbestos insulation in the US, Fluor continued to specify its use at the Abadan refinery. The jury found that the various Fluor entities caused Mr. Malek’s mesothelioma by exposing him to unsafe levels of asbestos, and also found they acted maliciously and reprehensibly by specifying asbestos insulation when it would have been illegal to do this in the US. The case settled for a significant amount more than the underlying verdict of $5,204, 048 while the jury deliberated the malice phase. The total settlements on the case were confidential. Mark Bratt acted as the lead trial attorney on the case.

TOTAL SETTLEMENTS - $5,205,000

Confidential v. Confidential

Case Description: This was a wrongful death disputed liability mesothelioma case with tragic facts where we represented the surviving 9-year-old son who lost both his mother and father in a span of 3 months in 2013. His father, who worked in construction his entire life, was diagnosed with mesothelioma and sadly died before he could complete his deposition. At that point, there was zero evidence proving what products he used that caused him asbestos exposure. Taking lead on the case, Mark Bratt refused to give and worked nonstop uncovering numerous witnesses to tell the story and establish sufficient exposures. The case ultimately resolved confidentially just before trial in San Luis Obispo.

TOTAL SETTLEMENTS - $9,400,000

Confidential v. Confidential

Case Description: This was a personal injury disputed liability mesothelioma case that was tried in Los Angeles in 2010. The plaintiff was diagnosed with mesothelioma after being exposed to asbestos through working in an industrial setting, working in the underground piping business, and doing general construction work. This hard-fought case was settled just before closing arguments with the last defendant. Total settlements on the case were $9.4 million. Mark Bratt acted as the primary attorney from filing through trial and was a key member of the trial team.

TOTAL SETTLEMENTS - $5,680,000

Confidential v. Confidential

Case Description: This was a personal injury disputed liability mesothelioma case that was brought against over 60 defendants in 2008. The plaintiff was diagnosed with mesothelioma after decades of asbestos exposure in the US Navy, shipyards, industrial facilities, and working at home. Plaintiff had a criminal history but had paid his debts to society and turned his life around. We were able to keep these irrelevant facts out of trial and ultimately resolved the case for $5,680,000. Mark Bratt worked up the case from start to finish and was a key member of the trial team.

TOTAL SETTLEMENTS - $5,016,250

Confidential v. Confidential

Case Description: This was a personal injury disputed liability mesothelioma case that was tried in Oakland, CA in 2013. Plaintiff was diagnosed with mesothelioma after working for decades in the underground water and sewer pipe business. He was regularly exposed to asbestos through cutting, milling, and tapping into the asbestos-cement pipes. The trial commenced against an asbestos pipe manufacturer and settled confidentially just before closing arguments. Mark Bratt acted as lead trial counsel.

TOTAL SETTLEMENTS - $2,500,000

Confidential v. Confidential

Case Description: This was a personal injury disputed liability defective design mesothelioma case in 2014. The plaintiff was diagnosed with mesothelioma after working at a major asbestos manufacturer. Due to his work around raw asbestos fibers, the plaintiff regularly wore a mask that he thought protected him from the hazards. Evidence was established that this major mask manufacturer defectively designed its masks and it failed to protect users from asbestos exposures despite its claims. The case settled for $2.5 prior to trial. Mark Bratt acted as the lead attorney on this case.

VERDICT/TOTAL JUDGMENT - $591,368.13

TOTAL SETTLEMENTS – Confidential

Huckins v. Hennessy Industries (AMMCO)

Case Description: This was a wrongful death disputed liability defective products mesothelioma case tried in 2015. Hennessy Industries, Inc. historically manufactured AMMCO brake grinders which were used in auto shops to grind brake shoes prior to installation. For decades Raymond Huckins worked at various auto shops and regularly used AMMCO brake grinders and was exposed to asbestos due to a defectively designed dust collection system. Mr. Huckins eventually was diagnosed with mesothelioma and died before his trial. The jury found Hennessy responsible under theories of negligence, failure to recall, and design defect. This was the first-ever verdict in the country where Hennessy was found liable for designing a product it knew would be used almost exclusively to grind asbestos-containing brakes that caused a person’s mesothelioma. The total judgment was $591,368 and the total settlements on the case were substantially higher but confidential. Mark Bratt acted as the lead trial attorney on the case.

TOTAL SETTLEMENTS – Confidential

Koczara v. Triple A Machine Shop

Case Description: This was a personal injury disputed liability mesothelioma case tried in 2016. Michael Koczara served in the US Navy on the USS Midway as a boiler tender back in the late 1960s into the early 1970s. He was exposed to significant amounts of asbestos during a drydock period when Triple-A Machine Shop employees (an outside contractor) came aboard and tore out the old insulation in his presence. After a multi-week trial, the case settled while the jury was deliberating. After the settlement was announced, each of the 16 jurors hugged the Plaintiffs and lead trial counsel Mark Bratt. The jurors universally stated they would have awarded well over $15 million dollars had the settlement not occurred.