Settlement news

Several settlements in the news today: 1. A New Jersey appeals court has upheld a $7.5 million verdict in a mesothelioma lawsuit that was awarded for a woman who was exposed to asbestos fibers while washing her husband’s work clothes for three decades. Go here for the full story. 2. Ford Motor Co. has reached a settlement with the family of a 22-year-old Mississippi man who died in a Ford Explorer rollover accident following a tire blowout. The undisclosed settlement came after a Jasper County jury awarded the family of Brian Cole $131 million at trial. Ford agreed to a settlement after the verdict to avoid a punitive damages award that could have been many times the compensatory amount. Go here for the full story. 3. Continental Airlines has reached a settlement agreement in at least two wrongful death lawsuits filed as a result of a 2009 airplane crash in Buffalo, New York that killed 50 people. Go here for the full story. 4. A California nursing home operator has agreed to pay $50 million to settle a lawsuit that threatened to bankrupt the company after a jury ordered it to pay $677 million for failing to provide enough nurses and staff. Go here for the full story.