Guidry v. Johns-Manville Corp.

BECK, Judge:

This is an appeal from an order of the Court of Common Pleas for Philadelphia County granting plaintiffs’ Motion for New Trial as to damages only.

This action was commenced in 1979. Plaintiffs were Gilbert Guidry and his wife, Kathryn. For a number of years Mr. Guidry had been employed at job sites, including the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, where he had been exposed to asbestos. He also had a long history of smoking. At the time of suit, Mr. Guidry had not been diagnosed as suffering from lung cancer. However, in 1980, this diagnosis was made and six months later, Mr. Guidry died.…