Mesothelioma Blog

  • Court Denies Bid to Overturn $7 Million Mesothelioma Verdict

    In September of 2018, a jury rendered a significant verdict on behalf of mesothelioma victim James Stock. They ordered Jenkin Brothers, a valve manufacturer, to pay him $4.5 million for his past pain and suffering, $1.5 million for future pain and suffering, and additional amounts totaling $7 million. The company filed a motion to have …Read More

  • Defective 3M Respirators Blamed for Weyerhaeuser Employees’ Mesothelioma

    When Elvira Kilty and Herbert Spatz worked for the Weyerhaeuser Company’s door manufacturing plant in Marshfield, Wisconsin, they were issued 3M respirators to protect them against mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases. Years later both were diagnosed with the rare form of cancer and filed suit against 3M. Though the company attempted to have the case …Read More

  • Judge Applies “Thirteenth Juror Doctrine” to Order New Mesothelioma Trial

    When Jerry Crawford filed a mesothelioma lawsuit against Covil Corporation, the case seemed like a slam dunk. Not only was there strong evidence in support of his claim of negligence, but Covil’s blatant lies during the trial led the judge to explicitly inform the jury about them. Despite this, the jury found in favor of …Read More

  • Judge Denies Crane Co.’s Arguments Against Mesothelioma Case Being Heard

    When Robert Grimes was diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma, the family law attorney immediately realized that his years working as an apprentice coppersmith in the early 1960s had exposed him to asbestos. Though he died in December of 2017, the lawsuit he filed against Crane and Co. was continued by his domestic partner, Linda F. Phelps, …Read More

  • Mesothelioma Widow Faces Multiple Companies in Quest for Justice

    Tatjana Pogacnik’s husband Leon died of malignant mesothelioma after he endured occupational exposure to asbestos during his career as an architect. She filed a personal injury lawsuit against multiple companies whose products or unsafe work environment contributed to his eventual diagnosis with the deadly form of cancer, and each of those companies worked hard to …Read More

  • Late Discovery of Evidence Changes Outcome for Mesothelioma Victim

    A mesothelioma lawsuit filed against the makers of Scotts Turf Builder was dismissed based on the victim’s experts not having examined original samples of the asbestos-contaminated product. But when it came to light that the company had samples that they’d testified did not exist, an appeals court reversed the dismissal and reactivated the case. Mesothelioma …Read More

  • Brothers Pursue Justice on Behalf of Their Sister After Her Death from Mesothelioma

    When Mary Jane Wilde died of malignant mesothelioma, her four heartbroken brothers filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Huntington Ingalls, Inc. They accused the organization of having failed to take the actions that would have protected her and the rest of their family from exposure to asbestos. Though the company attempted to remove the case …Read More

  • Ford Fights Mesothelioma Lawsuits by Funding Questionable Research

    It is impossible to say exactly how many victims of malignant mesothelioma were sickened by exposure to products manufactured by the Ford Motor Company, but it is a significant number. A recent report shows that the company, facing constant lawsuits, has invested over $40 million in research specifically designed to cast doubt on asbestos’ role …Read More

  • Jury Awards $23 Million After Laundry Equipment Causes Malignant Mesothelioma

    When Cynthia B. Cowger was diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma, she decided to pursue a lawsuit against Qualitex Company. She never dreamed that they’d argue that her own genes had led to her getting the rare, asbestos-related disease, nor did she imagine that a jury would disregard their arguments and award her $23 million in compensation. …Read More

  • Louisiana’s Interest in Protecting its Workers Benefits Mesothelioma Victim’s Family

    Mesothelioma victims seeking compensation for the damages they’ve suffered are often hampered by legal complications. Asbestos companies file for bankruptcy protection or are purchased and change their names. Some relocate to other states or countries. The difficulty of pursuing legal action would be stressful enough, but is far worse when also dealing with a painful …Read More

  • Decision in South Carolina Mesothelioma Case Will Help Future Victims

    The outcome of negligence lawsuits against asbestos companies may seem obvious to mesothelioma victims, but the cases are complex, and proving causation can be difficult. A recent decision by a South Carolina court of appeals has smoothed the way for future plaintiffs by allowing testimony about a cumulative dose of asbestos to be presented for …Read More

  • Appeal of Bowling Ball Mesothelioma Verdict Rejected – Victim’s Family to Keep $1.9 Million

    Malignant mesothelioma is a type of cancer diagnosed in less than 3,500 people each year, but public awareness is higher than for other rare cancers because it is caused by asbestos, a mineral that is still a risk factor in many buildings and in our infrastructure. Asbestos was used in applications beyond construction of public …Read More

  • Navy Veteran’s Mesothelioma Lawsuit to Proceed

    Pursuing a mesothelioma lawsuit often means an emotional rollercoaster of disappointments and victories for victims and their families. Faced with a certain death sentence, asbestos victims are already suffering heartache, and then confront additional stress as asbestos companies pursue various legal maneuvers to evade responsibility. In a recent example, Navy veteran Michael Harris and his …Read More

  • Mesothelioma Victims Reject Johnson & Johnson’s “Bad Faith” Bankruptcy Maneuver

    In the face of multi-million-dollar mesothelioma and ovarian cancer verdicts against them, consumer giant Johnson & Johnson recently executed what some are calling a “bad faith” bankruptcy maneuver that – if allowed to stand – will minimize victims’ ability to get the compensation that they deserve. The company pursued a strategy known as a “Texas …Read More

  • Judge Says Asbestos Company’s Mesothelioma Defense “Misses the Point”

    Many mesothelioma victims were exposed to asbestos as a result of products that were used for specific military applications. When these victims pursue compensation for their injuries, they find that they must fight their cases in federal court rather than in their local courts because the companies are able to defend themselves as government contractors, …Read More

  • Kraft Heinz and Others Ordered to Pay $32 Million to Mesothelioma Victim’s Family

    Kraft Heinz is one of the world’s most recognized and iconic brands, but their stature and power did nothing to prevent a jury from ordering them to pay millions to the bereaved family of a mesothelioma victim. The company had been accused of negligence for allowing asbestos exposure in a Louis Rich Company facility that …Read More

  • New Law to Benefit California Mesothelioma Victims

    As things stand now (and have for years), family members of California malignant mesothelioma plaintiffs are not able to receive compensation for their loved ones’ pain and suffering if the victim dies prior to a jury hearing the case and making a decision at trial. But a new law inspired by an 82-year-old who succumbed …Read More

  • Mounting Legal Bills Lead Companies to Settle with Mesothelioma Victims

    With an estimated 80,000 personal injury claims pending against them from mesothelioma victims and others, and countless more to be filed in the future, asbestos companies Aldrich Pump LLC and Murray Boiler LLC have reached a settlement agreement with plaintiffs’ attorneys. If approved by the bankruptcy courts, the settlement will set aside $545 million for …Read More

  • Asbestos Company’s Attempt to Overturn Mesothelioma Ruling Fails

    In early 2019, Harold Cox was diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma. Determining that his fatal illness was caused by exposure to asbestos during the years that he served in the Navy onboard the USS Chukawan, he and his wife Doris filed a lawsuit against several companies including Foster Wheeler, the manufacture of the boilers that he …Read More

  • Asbestos Attorneys Accuse Mesothelioma Victim’s Family of Evading Autopsy Request

    When James LaFrentz died in October of 2019, he was in the midst of a lawsuit accusing General Dynamics and 3M Company of negligence and blaming them for his malignant mesothelioma diagnosis. But because LaFrentz was a lifelong smoker, the companies questioned whether he truly had the asbestos-related disease. They wanted a sample of his …Read More