Owens Corning Fiberglas Corp. v. Parrish

KELLER, Justice.

I. ISSUES

These asbestos product liability cases, which the circuit court consolidated for trial, present two issues for our consideration.

Parrish and Coyle sought damages from asbestos-manufacturer Owens Corning Fiberglas Corporation (“Owens Corning”), after they allegedly contracted asbestosis, a respiratory disease caused by the inhalation of asbestos fibers. But, while Appel-lees sought recovery only for their alleged asbestosis, the trial court allowed the jury to consider Appellees’ smoking histories in determining their comparative fault.1 The jury consequently allocated…