Ford Motor Company Hit With $34M Asbestos Verdict

Ford Motor Company Hit With $34M Asbestos Verdict

Introduction

A couple has been awarded $8.5 million in an asbestos lawsuit, followed by another $25.5 million in punitive damages against Ford Motor Co., for making asbestos-containing auto brakes, by a California jury.

According to the court proceedings, the husband was working at gas stations in Southern California and Indiana in the late 1960s and '70s, where he conducted thousands of brake replacement jobs and safety inspections. During his occupancy, he was breathing in the asbestos-laden dust produced by the normal wear and tear of the auto brakes, which led to his mesothelioma.

The Los Angeles jury engaged in less than two hours of conversation while giving out the verdict in favor of the plaintiffs. Before that, the jury has carefully considered the trial for four weeks. The jury awarded punitive damages in a separate hearing as Ford acted with malice. 

The jury found Ford 100% liable for the man's cancer as they failed to recall or place a warning on its brakes. Other employers, including Chevron and Exxon, other automakers such as Chevrolet and Chrysler, or the makers and suppliers of other auto brakes, such as Pep Boys were not held liable.

The husband was awarded $4.5 million for his past and future noneconomic damages, and his wife was awarded $4 million for loss of consortium inflicted on her by her husband's illness. The punitive damages were slammed against the defendant after the jury found that it acted with malice, oppression, or fraud towards the plaintiffs.

The plaintiff’s attorney stated after the verdict that they are satisfied with the jury’s final decision, however, the amount of money will not give back the health to the man who has been diagnosed with mesothelioma. Ford’s unethical practice of conducting business has deprived the man of peacefulness as his health condition would not let him live longer with his wife and family. 

The risk of asbestos has been associated has been known since the early 1900s. When asbestos fibers get accumulated in the person’s lung it leads to mesothelioma. As of now, there is no cure for this form of cancer, which develops inside the person's body like a slow poison. 

Workers and laborers involved in the construction industry, textiles industry, and automobile industry are at a high risk of getting exposed to asbestos. Companies should take necessary steps for the safety of these workers so that they don’t ingest asbestos unknowingly.