On July 23, 2025, MG+M The Law Firm Partners Christian H. Gannon, Raghu N. Bandlamudi and Ryan Sweeney secured a rare and significant post-trial victory on behalf of The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, as Justice Lyle E. Frank set aside a $28.5 million jury verdict in a New York City Asbestos Litigation (NYCAL) matter.

The plaintiff, James Petro, alleged that he developed lung cancer as a result of his work on the original construction of the World Trade Center. During post-trial motion practice, it was revealed based upon a joint defense effort with our co-defendants, that the plaintiff had filed over 50 proofs of claim and reached settlements with more than 30 other defendants in prior asbestos-related lawsuits—information that was not disclosed to the defendants before or during trial.

The court held that the information contained in the settlements and bankruptcy proofs of claim “would likely have been material to the apportionment aspect of the trial and the verdict,” and therefore ordered a new trial on both apportionment and damages.

This rare and significant judicial intervention underscores MG+M’s commitment to vigorously defending clients and achieving exceptional outcomes, even against overwhelming jury verdicts that courts are usually reluctant to overturn.