Asbestos & Mesothelioma Law Blog
A New Jersey state jury recently handed down a $2.38 million plaintiff’s verdict in an asbestos cancer lawsuit brought by a man who claimed he developed mesothelioma cancer from years of exposure to asbestos shipped to his workplace by the defendant. The mesothelioma cancer lawsuit named Union Carbide as the defendant, and was eventually carried on by the victim’s widow after he succumbed to the disease which he claimed was caused by the defendant’s negligence.
The road to justice was a long one for the victim and his widow, originally filing the mesothelioma cancer lawsuit in June 2011. Years later in 2015, the judge hearing the case granted summary judgement to Union Carbide after the company argued that the plaintiff failed to acquire enough evidence showing the victim worked directly with asbestos-contaminated products produced by the defendant.
Asbestos is directly linked with developing a rare and deadly form of cancer known as mesothelioma. The disease commonly affects the thin lining of tissue surrounding vital organs such as the heart, lungs, and abdomen. There is currently no cure for mesothelioma and the disease often takes decades to show symptoms, leaving patients with diminished treatment options by the time a diagnosis is made.
Fortunately for the plaintiff, in 2017 a New Jersey appeals court overturned the lower court’s decision when it agreed with the plaintiff that documents showing shipments of asbestos to the plant where he worked, along with this job description, was sufficient to allow the claim to continue. At trial, attorneys for the plaintiff showed that while the victims worked at the plant, from 1969 to 1984, he worked with Union Carbide’s brand of asbestos for nearly 40 years.
Furthermore, the plaintiff’s attorneys brought up his job description at the plant which showed he had been specifically assigned to work in a powder room to mix up raw ingredients where they argued he inhaled asbestos fibers produced by the defendant. Despite Union Carbide’s attorneys’ attempts to obfuscate the company’s wrongdoing, the jury agreed with the plaintiff’s arguments and awarded the estate $2.1 in compensatory damages, as well as an additional $150,000 in pain and suffering and $150,000 to the victim’s widow for loss of companionship.
The case is another classic example of the lengths some asbestos companies will go in order to avoid liability for the harm caused by knowingly producing and marketing a dangerous product without any warning to innocent victims. Fortunately, the law gives victims the right to hold these negligent parties accountable in a court of law and seek monetary compensation to help make them whole again.
Nationwide Mesothelioma Lawyer
If you or a loved one were diagnosed with mesothelioma, contact our office to speak to one of our experienced mesothelioma attorneys about your situation. Our office can help investigate your case and determine if compensation can be sought from negligent parties to help pay for your medical treatment to help you and your family live a more comfortable life.