A Mississippi state court late last month vacated the huge $322 million jury verdict in an asbestos case against Union Carbide Corp. See Union Carbide Corp. et al. v. Brown, No. 2006-196 (Circuit Court of Smith County, Ms. 12/27/11).

The asbestos lawsuit in Smith County was filed by plaintiff Thomas Brown Jr., who alleged he worked in the state’s oil fields from 1979 to the mid-1980s and was diagnosed with asbestosis. He claimed that he had been exposed to asbestos when mixing drilling products manufactured by Union Carbide.