Mesothelioma Blog

  • Citing “Malice, Oppression and Fraud,” Jury Awards Mesothelioma Victim $22 Million

    After hearing that two talc companies had taken specific action to mislead about asbestos in their product, a California jury awarded a 72-year-old mesothelioma victim $22 million in compensatory and punitive damages. The defendants in the case were Vanderbilt Minerals and Imerys Talc America. Tags: Compensation, mesothelioma, Mesothelioma Claims, Mesothelioma lawyer …Read More

  • 2016 Decision Changed Everything for California Mesothelioma Victims with Second-Hand Asbestos Exposure

    In late 2016, the California State Supreme Court handed down a landmark decision whose impact continues to be felt by mesothelioma victims today. Responding to evidence that family members could contract the rare and fatal form of cancer after exposure to asbestos carried home on their loved ones’ clothing, the court ruled that these victims …Read More

  • Mesothelioma Fears Drive Philadelphia Teachers to File Lawsuit

    Ever since it became clear that exposure to asbestos can lead to malignant mesothelioma, victims of that and other asbestos-related diseases have filed personal injury lawsuits against product companies that have negligently exposed them to the toxic material. In most cases they are unable to sue their employers, but that has not stopped the Philadelphia …Read More

  • Missouri Appeals Court Denies J&J’s Appeal in $2.11 Billion Talcum Powder Asbestos Case

    In June of 2018, a Missouri jury awarded $4.7 billion to 22 women who’d claimed that asbestos in Johnson & Johnson’s talc products had caused their ovarian cancer. Though an appellate court later cut the damages award to $2.11 billion, the consumer giant filed an appeal asking that the jury’s findings be reviewed and overturned. …Read More

  • Mesothelioma Lawsuit Cites Second-Hand Asbestos Exposure from World Trade Center Construction

    In 2015, 73-year-old Albina Licul was diagnosed with malignant pleural mesothelioma, and she died of the rare, asbestos-related disease just sixty days later. But before her death, she was able to file a mesothelioma lawsuit against the plaster company that she blamed for her illness. She cited the asbestos they sprayed at the World Trade …Read More

  • Mesothelioma Victim Denied Justice Provides Cautionary Tale

    Jody Ratcliff was diagnosed with malignant peritoneal mesothelioma in 2005, but at that time she focused on her medical needs rather than taking legal action. Her physicians were able to treat her and provided her with several years of remission. When her disease returned, she filed personal injury claims against the asbestos companies she blamed …Read More

  • West Virginia Mesothelioma Victims Reach Rapid Settlement Agreement in Face of COVID-19

    COVID-19 is impacting mesothelioma victims in countless ways, and one of the most surprising happened last week in a 4,000-square-foot events venue in Wheeling, West Virginia, the Highlands Event Center. The location hosted attorneys representing hundreds of asbestos plaintiffs, attorneys for asbestos companies, and a West Virginia Supreme Court judge. Working together, the group successfully …Read More

  • Where Safety Gloves Were Purchased Integral to Where Mesothelioma Claim Is Heard

    After Giacinto Pira died of malignant mesothelioma, his survivors filed a personal injury lawsuit in New York’s court system against Steel Grip, Inc., the manufacturer of safety gloves that he wore while working as a welder. The company, based in Illinois, argued that the case should be dismissed due to jurisdictional questions, but the judge …Read More

  • Largest Asbestos Lawsuit Settlements in the US

    The largest asbestos settlements, including a staggering $797.5 million asbestos lawsuit, highlight the devastating impact of long-term exposure to this toxic material. Average asbestos lawsuit settlement awards in U.S. history have reached up to $250 million for a single victim. These massive payouts are often awarded in cases of mesothelioma, a deadly cancer caused by …Read More

  • Expert Witness in Mesothelioma Trial Admits to Little Knowledge About the Disease

    Who wins a mesothelioma lawsuit often depends upon the strength of the testimony expert witnesses provide to the jury. While victims and other witnesses provide information about what happened and how exposure took place, it is expert witnesses who give the jury members the scientific information on which they base their assessment of what is …Read More

  • Convenience Store Clerk Who Suffered Second Hand Asbestos Exposure Permitted to Proceed with Mesothelioma Lawsuit

    In 2019, Jesse Hernandez was diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma. After realizing that he’d been exposed to asbestos as a young man, when he’d worked at a family grocery store and had come into daily contact with plant workers from the nearby Allied Chemical plant, he filed a negligence lawsuit against Honeywell International as successor to …Read More

  • Lifetime of Asbestos Exposure Muddies Mesothelioma Responsibility

    When a victim of malignant mesothelioma seeks justice for the harm they’ve suffered, the first step is to figure out when and where their asbestos exposure occurred. Sometimes the answer is clear and straight forward, but in many cases — and particularly for those who served in America’s military — exposure to asbestos was such …Read More

  • Jury Awards $25 Million Verdict to Mesothelioma Victim and His Wife

    A California man afflicted with malignant testicular mesothelioma has won his lawsuit, taking home $25 million for himself and his wife. Houshang and Soraya Sabetian filed suit against several companies, charging them with negligently exposing him to asbestos when he worked at Iranian oil refineries between 1959 and 1979 and leading to his eventual diagnosis …Read More

  • 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 …Read More

  • Mail Carrier Blames Malignant Mesothelioma on Shipyard Asbestos

    When we think of workplaces where mesothelioma is a risk, shipyards immediately come to mind.  We picture welders and steelworkers and others who handle asbestos-contaminated materials and think of them as likely victims. But asbestos is a material that breaks down easily into microscopic fibers, and once those fibers become airborne they can be inhaled …Read More

  • Court Upholds Jury’s $6 Million Mesothelioma Verdict

    In April of 2017, Patrick O’Reilly passed away from malignant mesothelioma after over forty years of working as a union pipefitter in Chicago. After his death, his daughter, Sharon Daniels, filed a lawsuit on behalf of his estate, seeking compensation for the damages that he had suffered.  By the time of trial, only gasket and packing …Read More

  • Judge in New York Mesothelioma Case Clarifies Role of Punitive Damages

    When a loved one dies of malignant mesothelioma, it is natural for those left behind to seek justice from those who exposed them to the asbestos that led to their disease. This is especially true if the entity at fault was aware of asbestos’ dangers, as happened in a case recently heard in New York: …Read More

  • Conflicting Testimony from Asbestos Defendant Works to Mesothelioma Victim’s Benefit

    When a person diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma files a personal injury lawsuit against an asbestos company, they’re warned that the defendants will do everything they can to win. Asbestos companies argue that there’s no evidence that their product caused the victim’s illness, that there’s no proof their product was used at all, and sometimes even …Read More

  • Mesothelioma Widow’s Appeal Results in New Trial

    When mesothelioma victims first decide to pursue justice from those responsible for their fatal illness, they’re warned that the journey will be long and challenging, but worthwhile in the end. A good example of the emotional rollercoaster that these lawsuits represent can be seen in the case of James Clevenger, a Navy veteran and maintenance …Read More

  • Asbestosis vs Mesothelioma: How Do These Diseases Affect the Lungs?

    When it comes to asbestos-related diseases, two terms often come up: asbestosis vs mesothelioma. Both conditions are caused by exposure to asbestos, but they’re not the same and impact the lungs in different ways. Knowing the terrible consequences these illnesses can cause, I think it’s critical to clarify their differences and what they represent for …Read More

Tags: asbestos, mesothelioma