Jury Awards $30.2 Million To a Mesothelioma Victim

Jury Awards $30.2 Million To a Mesothelioma Victim

Introduction

On November 13, a California jury awarded $30.2 million to a former construction worker who was diagnosed with mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer caused due to asbestos exposure, holding defendant J-M Manufacturing 45% liable for the disease.

The California Superior Court for Los Angeles County jury found that the defendant acted with negligence in warning the plaintiff about the hazards of asbestos-containing transite pipe. Judge Maurice A. The plaintiff was $1 million in economic damages, $13.2 million for the pain and suffering; while his wife was awarded $1 million for loss of consortium, and $15.2 million in compensatory damages. Apart from JMM, the liability was split among several other entities who were responsible for the plainitff's asbestos exposure. During the three-week trial, the jury discovered that the transite pipe sold by the company was unsafe and the plaintiff was regularly exposed to asbestos while supervising workers who cut and beveled the transite pipe.

Asbestos is a combination of six silicate minerals, which existed for 4,000 years in silent form until manufacturers and builders discovered its unique properties and started using it as electrical insulation and building insulation. Asbestos usage has shown an undaunted increase ever since.

Unlimited and heavy exposure to Asbestos by workers and laborers involved in the construction industry, repairs of ships, specifically, during the removal of asbestos materials while renovation, repairs, or demolition face higher risks. Also, workers involved in the manufacturing of asbestos products such as textiles, friction products, insulation, other building materials, automotive brake, and clutch repair work who inhaled and ingested Asbestos, unknowingly or knowingly, are/were at risk.

Family members indirectly exposed to asbestos fibers carried along with the clothes, hair, and skin of their near ones carry equal chances of being affected. Asbestos can lead to mesothelioma, lung cancer, ovarian cancer, and laryngeal cancer.

Reports of asbestos hazards have been around since the 1900s. Hundreds of lawsuits are filed on behalf of individuals who suffered from mesothelioma due to asbestos exposure. Some of the mesothelioma lawsuits also blame talcum manufacturers for hiding asbestos presence in their products.