Hoskins v. Business Men's Assurance

VICTOR C. HOWARD, Judge.

Forest “Dino” Hoskins and his wife, Judy Hoskins (Plaintiffs), sued the owners of the building where Mr. Hoskins worked and the manufacturer and its successor of an asbestos-containing fireproofing material used in the building’s construction for personal injuries and loss of consortium. Plaintiffs maintained that Mr. Hoskins’ mesothelioma, a rare form of lung cancer, resulted from his exposure to the asbestos in the building.

A jury entered verdicts for Plaintiffs for actual and punitive damages. Manufacturer and its successor appealed to the Missouri Supreme Court,…