Pennsylvania Court upholds $815.5 million award against Exxon Mobil

A three-judge panel of the Superior Court of Pennsylvania has upheld an $815.5 million compensatory damages judgment against Exxon Mobil Corp. The ruling affirms an award previously granted to Paul Gill, a former Mobil gas station mechanic who developed acute myeloid leukemia.

Gill worked as a mechanic and gas attendant in Potter County from 1974 to 1979, during which time he used ExxonMobil gasoline to clean automobile parts. He testified that he was unaware of the risks of benzene exposure through skin contact and inhalation and did not use protective equipment.

The court rejected Exxon’s appeal, which argued that the award was “shockingly excessive and against the weight of the evidence.” The panel also ruled that certain challenges to causation evidence should not have been raised during the initial trial.