Ulysses Collins died of mesothelioma at the age of sixty-five. He was a welder at Hunters Point Naval Shipyard from 1960-1973, a welder/boilermaker at Standard Oil in Richmond, California from 1973-1976, and a welder at Mare Island Naval Shipyard in Vallejo, California from 1976-1994. The case resolved before trial with various defendants and proceeded to trial only against Plant Insulation. Plant was the exclusive Northern California supplier of asbestos-containing thermal insulation manufactured by Pabco/Fibreboard in Emeryville, California. Plant was also an insulation contractor at numerous industrial and commercial sites in Northern California. (Ulysses Collins and Cloristeen Collins v. Plant Insulation Company, Case No. RG04143303, Alameda County Superior Court)
Trial began on October 2, 2008. On November 6, 2008 the jury returned a verdict on the behalf of the Collins in the amount of $10,038,000, which included $1,038,000 in economic damages. The jury determined that Plant was 20 percent liable for Mr. Collins’ mesothelioma.
The Collins family were represented at trial by Kazan Law principal Phillip Harley and associate Matt Thiel.