Australian Court: Asbestos Company Directors Guilty
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Australian Court: Asbestos Company Directors Guilty

ByAlex Strauss

After a legal battle that lasted more than ten years and prompted a made-for-TV movie in Australia, seven former corporate directors were recently found guilty of lying to employees and the public about mesothelioma compensation. Building product company James Hardie Industries was Australia’s biggest producer of asbestos cement and had manufactured asbestos products of various kinds since the 1930’s. In 2001, it moved its operation overseas, leaving behind a trust fund for Australian workers whose asbestos exposure at work put them at risk of mesothelioma and other asbestos related diseases. The company publicly stated that this mesothelioma compensation fund was ‘fully funded’ and would provide ‘certainty’ for current and future mesothelioma victims. In fact, the fund was on the verge of…

Railway Employees Lose High Court Mesothelioma Battle
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Railway Employees Lose High Court Mesothelioma Battle

ByAlex Strauss

Mesothelioma patients who believe the railway industry is to blame for their disease have lost an important battle in the Supreme Court. The railway industry has long been a dangerous one, made even more so by the widespread use of toxic asbestos.  Steam locomotives, used by many railroads as late as the 1960’s, used asbestos, not only in the liner around the engine, but around the boiler, on the outside as ‘lagging’, and even in the engine cab.  More recently, some diesel locomotives have been found to contain asbestos gaskets.  Asbestos was also used in most train brake shoes through the 1990’s.  Asbestos causes mesothelioma a rare but aggressive cancer. The case before the U.S. Supreme Court was that of George Corson, a welder and…

Italy Verdict May Have Worldwide Mesothelioma Impact
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Italy Verdict May Have Worldwide Mesothelioma Impact

ByAlex Strauss

Advocates of better protection for workers from mesothelioma and other occupational diseases have won a major court victory. A Swiss billionaire and a Belgian executive – both former managers in the Italian affiliate of the Eternit cement company – have been sentenced to 16 years in jail and ordered to pay millions of Euros for negligence that led to more than 2,000 deaths from mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases. The Reuters news agency predicts that the decision, announced in Turin, Italy, could “set a precedent for proceedings worldwide about safety in the workplace.” Stephan Schmidheiny was a former owner of the cement company and Jean Louis Marie Ghislain de Cartier de Marchienne was a shareholder and former manager in the…

James Hardie’s Mesothelioma and Asbestos Legacy Continues
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James Hardie’s Mesothelioma and Asbestos Legacy Continues

ByAlex Strauss

Most Americans have never heard of a company called James Hardie, but to many Australians this name conjures up an enormous death toll from asbestos. It has been alleged that this company is responsible for thousands of past and future Australian deaths from mesothelioma, lung cancer and asbestosis. Founded in Melbourne Australia in 1888 by James Hardie the company produced asbestos related products such as building products, insulation, and brake linings. In March 1987 it stopped manufacturing the asbestos containing products but, it was already too late. Mesothelioma and other asbestos related diseases have a long latency period from the time of asbestos exposure to disease diagnosis. Thousands of Australians who had worked for James Hardie or had come in…