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NJ Supreme Court Won't Hear ExxonMobil Appeal Over Damages

TRENTON, N.J. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- The New Jersey Supreme Court won't hear an appeal from ExxonMobil over $7 million awarded to a woman who claimed she got cancer from her husband's asbestos-laden clothes.

A jury in 2008 found Bonnie Anderson had contracted mesothelioma from washing the clothes her husband wore at Exxon's Linden Bayway Refinery or through her own work there.

Anderson was an electrician at the refinery from 1975 to 1986 who did not have contact with asbestos. She was diagnosed with malignant peritoneal mesothelioma in 2001.

Her husband removed insulation to fix pumps and filters and does not have the disease.

ExxonMobil argued there was no way to know how Anderson got sick and worker's compensation laws should limit damages.

A company spokesman told The Star-Ledger of Newark it is evaluating its options.

(TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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