William B. Webb, Plaintiffs and Appellants v. Speci — Cantil-Sakauye, J., Concurring in Part and Dissenting…

Summary

The concurring and dissenting opinion agrees that substantial evidence supports the verdict against the supplier and that the judgment should be affirmed, but disagrees with the majority's standard for the sophisticated intermediary defense. It would require a supplier either to warn its direct purchaser of known hazards or to know that the purchaser actually understood the specific danger before relying on the purchaser to warn end users. The opinion emphasizes the extreme toxicity of crocidolite asbestos and the minimal burden of warning a direct purchaser.