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'Popcorn Lung' Verdict Reversed Over Immigration Info: Velasquez v. Centrome

February 02, 2015 (1 min read)

"A California appellate court Friday reversed the verdict against a former factory worker who lost his "popcorn lung" case, finding the lower court made a crucial mistake when it informed the jury that the plaintiff was in the country illegally.  The panel concluded the previous ruling in Wilfredo Velasquez's case against Advanced Biotech Inc., a supplier of raw food materials, should be reversed and remanded back to a trial court because the lower court erred when it made his immigration status admissible at trial, when Velasquez alleged an Advanced product caused him to contract a deadly disease requiring a lung transplant.  The appeals court agreed with Velasquez that admission of this fact was irrelevant to the case and could have prejudiced jurors, who ultimately ruled in favor of Advanced." - Alex Wolf, Law360, Jan. 30, 2015.

Velasquez v. Centrome, Jan. 30, 2015.