OTHER NEWS - Aug. 7, 1993

Three Companies Liable in Asbestos Trial: A state court jury in Jackson, Miss., found three companies liable for injuries sustained by thousands of shipyard workers who used asbestos-containing products. The case consolidated 9,600 claims by workers at Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Miss., located on the Gulf of Mexico. The jury found Westinghouse Electric Corp., Dresser Industries and Colonial Sugar Refinery Ltd. of Australia guilty of wrongfully making or distributing products containing asbestos. They were ordered to pay $9.2 million in compensatory damages to six sample plaintiffs whose cases were heard in the four-month trial. Three plaintiffs received nothing. The remaining cases will be decided in small trials. The companies also were found liable for punitive damages, which will be determined separately.