The national jury award median for personal injury claims increased 7 percent from 1997 to 1998, according to a report by Jury Verdict Research, based in Horsham, Pa.
The annual analysis of five- to 10-year jury verdict trends shows an increase in most major liabilities, with the sharpest rise in product liability awards. With a median of $1.321 million in 1998, product liability awards were up 137 percent from the previous year’s figure of $556,690; the 1996 median was $750,000.
The most frequently claimed injuries in product liability cases were death, accounting for 16 percent of the total, and asbestos-related illnesses, at 13 percent. Median verdicts in cases involving a death were $1,117,121, while those in asbestos cases were $500,000.
