Oil Refinery Employee Awarded $25 Million Following Mesothelioma Diagnosis

Testicular malignant mesothelioma is an exceedingly rare form of an already-rare disease. Malignant mesothelioma strikes roughly 3,000 victims in the United States each year, and the form that impacts the lining of the testicular cavity occurs in less than 5 percent of cases. But when 85-year-old Housang Sabetian was diagnosed with the disease, it was quickly determined that his illness was caused by his exposure to asbestos when he was employed by the National Iranian Oil Company between 1960 and 1979. He and his wife filed a mesothelioma lawsuit against the companies that built the oil refineries in Iran during those years, and a Los Angeles Superior Court jury found in the couple’s favor, awarding them $25 million in damages.

Multiple Defendants Found Guilty in Mesothelioma Lawsuit

In filing their mesothelioma lawsuit, the Sabetians named Fluor Enterprises Inc., Middle East Fluor, and other companies as defendants. They accused them of contributory and comparative negligence, and presented evidence showing that though the company had taken strict safety precautions when building refineries in the United States, they failed to do the same in their construction work in Iran.

The Sabetian family asserted that the defendant companies’ failure to act responsibly while building oil refineries in Iran had resulted in him having been exposed to the carcinogen and developing malignant mesothelioma. The jury agreed and handed down the significant verdict, providing compensation to both the victim and his wife.

$25 Million Mesothelioma Verdict Split Between Victim and his Wife

The Los Angeles jury was asked to determine how much compensation should be given to the mesothelioma victim and his wife, and also to allocate blame among the defendants. They determined that Fluor Enterprises, Inc. was responsible for 60% of the blame and that their Middle East Fluor subsidiary was responsible for 20%. Mr. Sabetian’s employer, National Iranian Oil Company, was not a defendant in the case but was identified as being 20% responsible for his illness.

The damages that the asbestos companies are required to pay to Mr. and Mrs. Sabetian in compensation for his testicular mesothelioma totaled $6 million in past damages to him and $3 million in past damages to her, and another $8 million in future damages for him and $8 million in future damages for her.