Record Asbestos Verdict in Mississippi Thrown Out

A Mississippi judge has thrown out the record $322 million verdict in a case oringinally presided over by a tainted judge in a manner that, according to the latest Judicial Hellholes report, would have been “as funny as ‘My Cousin Vinny‘ if it weren’t for [the] terribly negative impact on the Magnolia State’s efforts to compete in attracting businesses and jobs.”

As reported by the Associated Press earlier this month, “[t]he case began unraveling for the plaintiff after defense lawyers asked the Mississippi Supreme Court to remove [Judge Eddie Bowen] because he allegedly neglected to disclose his parents were involved in similar asbestos litigation.”

The case, which landed Smith County, Miss. on the Judicial Hellholes “Watch List” this year, resulted in the largest award for a single asbestos plaintiff in U.S. history.

The high court had granted the defendant’s post-verdict request to remove Judge Bowen, assigning Judge William Coleman as Bowen’s replacement.  Judge Coleman vacated the original verdict late last month, just 12 days after the Judicial Hellholes report was released.