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Mesothelioma Verdicts Highlight the Asbestos Danger

ByAlex Strauss

Some large mesothelioma settlements this summer have resulted in more $25 million for victims of the disease from coast to coast.

In New Orleans, former shipyard worker Leopold Granier, Jr. won his $1.5 million suit against Union Carbide, Avondale Shipyards and Cajun Insulation, alleging that the companies were negligent in allowing his exposure to cancer-causing asbestos.  Granier worked at the Avondale shipyard, which was once the largest employer in the state of Louisiana.  The jury found that the companies named in the suit produced products that were a “substantial and contributing cause” of Granier’s mesothelioma.  The shipyard is slated to close in 2013 because of reduced business from the Navy.

In San Diego, a 70-year old Navy veteran won a $2.4 million verdict against a company that manufactured asbestos for the boiler rooms where he spent a decade working.  William Mansir was diagnosed with mesothelioma in 2010.  He and his wife brought suit against John Crane, Inc. maker or asbestos-containing joint compounds that likely triggered Mansir’s mesothelioma.

At the same time, a New York jury awarded $2.5 million in damages to a former chemist who filed a mesothelioma lawsuit against Ford Motor Company.  James Ginter claims that his mesothelioma was triggered by asbestos he inhaled while using the Friction Assessment Screening Test (FAST) machine.  The machine was designed to test the viability of asbestos-containing brake materials by grinding the materials down. Ginter’s suit claimed that he was never warned that the test was generating potentially lethal asbestos dust.

Finally, one of the largest mesothelioma settlements in recent months also happened in New York.  A jury awarded $22 million to the families of two men who died of mesothelioma after years of working with asbestos-containing gaskets manufactured by Goodyear.  Goodyear says it will appeal the verdict.

Asbestos was once widely used as an additive to building products as a strong, corrosion-resistant insulator. Although its use has decreased since the 1980’s, the long delay between exposure to asbestos and development of mesothelioma has given rise to many lawsuits 30, 40 and even 50 years after asbestos exposure.  Mesothelioma is a virulent and aggressive form of cancer caused by asbestos.

Sources:

“$2.4 Million Awarded in San Diego Asbestos Case”, WebWire website, August 1, 2011.
“Mesothelioma Lawsuit Against Ford Results in $2.5M Jury Award”, July 15, 2011, AboutLawsuits.com legal website.
“Asbestos Mesothelioma Lawsuit Results in $1.5M Verdict”, July 8, 2011, AboutLawsuits.com legal website.

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