Mesothelioma Blog

  • Mesothelioma Claims Often Pit Asbestos Companies Against One Another

    Frequently, defendants in mesothelioma and asbestos-related claims turn on one another in order to evade having to carry too much liability. Such was the case in a recent lawsuit filed by a man diagnosed with asbestos-related lung cancer. Though one of the companies tried to have the case against them thrown out for vagueness, other …Read More

  • Mesothelioma Victim’s Claim Includes Asbestos Company’s Insurer as Defendant

    After Kirk Reulet’s 2019 death from malignant mesothelioma, his family filed a wrongful death and survival action against multiple companies that they blamed for having negligently exposed him to asbestos, as well as insurance companies that issued policies for those companies. Though one insurance company asked to be dismissed from the case, the judge denied …Read More

  • Washington State Mesothelioma Victim Prevails Against Successor to Former Employer

    Washington state resident Jeffrey Cockrum filed a mesothelioma lawsuit against Howmet Aerospace, the successor to his former employer, and several other companies. He later dismissed his original claim and resubmitted it to add another company to the list of defendants. In response, Howmet accused him of fraudulent joinder, a legal term that describes inappropriate adding …Read More

  • Mesothelioma Victim Awarded $5.75 Million in Case Against Volkswagen

    A King County, Washington jury has awarded $5.75 million in damages to the estate of a mesothelioma victim who filed a lawsuit against Volkswagen Group of America and Volkswagen AG. The victim, Thomas Sorrentino, died shortly after his diagnosis with the aggressive form of cancer, but in the time he had left, he provided essential …Read More

  • Hess’ St. Croix Refinery Blamed for Mesothelioma and Other Asbestos Injuries

    An oil refinery operated for decades by Hess in the U.S. Virgin Islands has been blamed for countless cases of malignant mesothelioma and other asbestos injuries. Though victims have sought justice against HONX, Inc. for years, the company has evaded liability through a series of legal maneuvers. Recently, the company announced a deadline of March …Read More

  • Despite Texas Company’s Objections, Oklahoma Mesothelioma Victim Can Keep Jury Award

    Michael Galier has happy childhood memories of visiting Oklahoma construction sites with his dad and playing at those sites with his brothers, but those fun times were also the cause of his malignant mesothelioma. When he filed suit against the Texas company whose asbestos he’d been exposed to as a child, they claimed they could …Read More

  • Judge Denies Company’s Attempt to Shut Down Asbestos Testimony in Mesothelioma Trial

    Though Captain Francis J. Burger may not be an expert in malignant mesothelioma, he does know a lot about the use of asbestos onboard Navy vessels. His decades of experience in shipbuilding and his knowledge of Navy specifications made him a natural expert witness in a case involving asbestos exposure onboard the USS Purdy.  Despite …Read More

  • Second-Hand Asbestos Exposure Blamed for Louisiana Woman’s Malignant Mesothelioma

    Herbert Tabor never dreamed that his work at Avondale Shipyards would eventually lead to his wife’s death from malignant mesothelioma. But seven years of laundering asbestos-covered clothing meant that Ethel Tabor inhaled countless deadly asbestos fibers that infiltrated her pleural lining and grew into the deadly form of cancer. Now her family is seeking justice …Read More

  • Punitive Damages Deposition Ordered by New York Special Master

    Ernest Masetro filed a lawsuit against multiple asbestos companies he blames for his malignant mesothelioma. When one of those companies attempted to avoid answering questions aimed at holding them responsible for punitive damages, he asked a Special Master to weigh in and force them to comply, and he did. Though the company appealed this order, …Read More

  • Mesothelioma Litigants See Decades of Confusion and Delayed Litigation Ended by Judge’s Decision

    There are so many mesothelioma and asbestos lawsuits filed in the city of New York that, years ago, the city established a dedicated court, the New York City Asbestos Litigation Court, or NYCAL. Recently, Justice Adam Silvera of that court ended years of confusion and frustration for victims by lifting a decades-long deferral of punitive …Read More

  • Mesothelioma Widow Pursues Lawsuit Against Auto Parts Seller

    A California court ruled in favor of Evelyn Chandler, a mesothelioma widow who is suing a retailer that sold asbestos-contaminated auto parts to her husband. Mrs. Chandler has accused the company and others of negligence. Mesothelioma Claims Victim’s Life in Just Four Months Mrs. Chandler’s husband Gail succumbed to malignant mesothelioma just four months after …Read More

  • Mesothelioma Verdict Stands Despite Asbestos Company’s Appeal

    Before Ben Viglietta’s malignant mesothelioma death, he and his wife Terri filed a lawsuit against Johns Manville and Hedman Resources Limited, accusing them of negligence, failure to warn, and reckless disregard for the safety of others in exposing him to the asbestos that led to his disease. After a jury awarded the victim $2 million …Read More

  • Ford Must Pay $6 Million After Limousine Manufacturing Job Leads to Mesothelioma Death

    Linda Behling was just 70 years old when she was diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma. A mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, she had been exposed to Ford Motor Company brakes for decades, and her family blamed exposure to asbestos in those parts for her illness and subsequent death. After hearing two weeks of testimony, a Missouri state …Read More

  • Mesothelioma Widow’s Fight with Honeywell International Continues

    A loved one’s death from malignant mesothelioma often leads to David and Goliath legal actions that pit lone individuals against giant corporations. When Joan Barbarino lost her husband Roy to the rare asbestos-related disease, she filed a claim against one of the biggest companies in the world — Honeywell International. A New York judge recently …Read More

  • New York Plastics Plant Blamed for Workers’ and Residents’ Mesothelioma

    The OxyChem chemical plant in Niagara Falls New York and its neighboring industrial plastics plant in North Tonawanda, New York are both the subject of renewed scrutiny after revelations of malignant mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases among the plants’ employees and neighbors. According to a ProPublica report published in October, the company’s extensive asbestos contamination …Read More

  • Asbestos Companies Argue that Mesothelioma Wasn’t Single Cause of Death

    Kirk Reulet was diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma after spending 45 years working as a welder. He died in 2019. When his widow Joanne filed a wrongful death and survival claim against the companies that exposed him to asbestos, they argued that mesothelioma had not been the single cause of his death. This forced the widow …Read More

  • Judge Rules Japanese Brake Company Cannot Escape Mesothelioma Litigation

    There was once a time when almost all automotive brakes were fabricated using asbestos, and exposure to dust from these contaminated parts has been blamed for countless cases of malignant mesothelioma. In a recent lawsuit, a Japanese manufacturer of brakes attempted to evade liability for the harm that their product caused by insisting that the …Read More

  • Objection to $5 Million Mesothelioma Verdict Centers on Question of Recklessness

    Donald and Linda Miller’s mesothelioma lawsuit against Kaiser Gypsum Company accused the company of acting recklessly. An Oregon jury agreed and ordered the company to pay the couple more than $6.2 million in damages. Though that amount was later reduced to $5.2 million, the company still objected to being held responsible, and appealed the verdict. …Read More

  • Secondary Exposure to Asbestos Blamed for Woman’s Malignant Mesothelioma Death

    Avondale Shipyard in Louisiana is frequently named a defendant in malignant mesothelioma lawsuits. The company employed thousands of workers who were exposed to and sickened by asbestos, but is frequently able to avoid responsibility by pointing to its role as a government contractor. A recent case showed that defense does not protect them from blame …Read More

  • Lawsuit Blames Cashmere Bouquet Powder for Woman’s Mesothelioma

    Maryann Purser died of malignant mesothelioma. After her diagnosis, she and her family reviewed her life history to determine where she could have been exposed to asbestos, the mineral that causes the rare and fatal form of cancer. They realized that the Colgate Palmolive’s Cashmere Bouquet Talcum Powder she’d used throughout her life contained asbestos, …Read More