79-Year-Old Mesothelioma Victim Awarded $10 Million in Damages Seven Decades After Asbestos Exposure
After two weeks of testimony about childhood exposure to the same asbestos that killed his father and sickened his brother, a Washington state jury awarded 79-year-old George Kraemer $10 million in compensation for his diagnosis with malignant pleural mesothelioma.
Asbestos that Caused Man’s Mesothelioma Also Killed his Father and Sickened his Brother
According to testimony presented to the jury, George Kraemer’s malignant mesothelioma was a result of exposure to asbestos that his father carried home on his clothing when George was just a toddler. The 79-year-old victim told of his father’s work at the Todd Shipyard, which started just before the attack on Pearl Harbor and continued for years thereafter. He spoke of the asbestos fibers that were on his father’s clothing.
Mr. Kraemer blamed his own mesothelioma on his father’s exposure to asbestos-contaminated insulation supplied by defendant Lone Star Industries’ predecessor company, Pioneer Sand & Gravel. He also indicated that his father, Charles, had succumbed to lung disease in 1970 and that his brother George had been diagnose with asbestosis in the 1980s.
Jury Agrees that Company is Liable for Mesothelioma
In handing down their verdict of guilt, the jury awarded Mr. Kraemer $10 million in damages. Speaking of the award afterward, he said, “We are grateful the court found in favor of our case. It set a precedent so others afflicted with this disease may find justice in the future. Our family has been through a lot in the past few years so the judgment will ease the financial medical burden, but moreover we’re just relieved to know those responsible have been held accountable. I was an innocent toddler when I was exposed to asbestos in my own home.”
This verdict underscores the long latency period of mesothelioma and the enduring responsibility companies face for asbestos exposure, even when it occurred generations earlier. By holding the supplier liable for take-home exposure that began in early childhood, the jury affirmed that time does not erase accountability when evidence establishes a clear causal link. For families affected by secondary asbestos exposure, the Kraemer verdict reinforces that justice remains possible decades later and that companies may still be required to answer for preventable harm inflicted long before symptoms ever appeared.
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