Womble Bond Dickinson Client Chromalox Earns Trial Victory in Asbestos Case

COLUMBIA, SC—A Womble Bond Dickinson team led by Elizabeth O’Neill and Ted Roberts earned a complete defense victory for Chromalox, Inc. in a South Carolina asbestos trial. The 12-person jury returned a unanimous verdict in favor of Chromalox following a four-day trial in South Carolina state court. The case was tried in South Carolina’s Fifth Judicial Circuit Court. Retired South Carolina Supreme Court Justice Jean Toal presided over the case.

In addition to O’Neill and Roberts, the Womble Bond Dickinson team also included Todd Carroll as appellate counsel and Ashley Couch as the trial paralegal, with assistance from attorneys Bryant Caldwell and Scott Richmond.

The case was brought by the Estate of Rabon Delmore Manning, a former plumber. Manning died in 2018 of mesothelioma, a form of lung cancer.

The successful defense effort came despite a key witness being unable to participate in the time-limited trial due to illness.

The case is Dennis Manning, Individually and as the Personal Representative of the Estate of Rabon Delmore Manning v. Goulds Pumps LLC, et al.