Successful Mesothelioma Lawsuits Often Detail Multiple Sources of Asbestos Exposure

It is very common for people diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma to have been exposed to asbestos from multiple sources. If your occupation put you in close proximity to equipment or parts that were contaminated with the carcinogen, there’s a good chance that several different manufacturers’ whose products you worked with used the same, dangerous materials. Though victims often fear that being unable to pinpoint the exact time and duration of exposure from one company’s products will work against them, in most cases mesothelioma attorneys are able to name multiple companies as defendants and hold all of them responsible for the damages they have caused.

Plumber with Mesothelioma Exposed to Asbestos Throughout his Working Career

The plight of mesothelioma victim Robert Swanson is a good case in point. Though the plumber died of the rare and fatal form of cancer in 2016, his product liability lawsuit against several different defendants was continued by his son Shawn as a wrongful death case, and a jury recently ordered boiler manufacturer Marley-Wylain to pay the family over $5 million in damages.

Mr. Swanson’s mesothelioma was diagnosed in 2014 and he filed suit against multiple defendants during the following year. In testimony provided before his death he detailed years of exposure to asbestos, starting with his two-year naval assignment onboard the U.S.S. Theodore E. Chandler and his years installing and servicing heating and plumbing systems in the years thereafter. The Weil-McLain boilers that he worked on were just one of many that were contaminated with asbestos.

The jury reviewed the testimony of expert witnesses about how asbestos exposure can lead to malignant mesothelioma, as well as the information provided about the dust Swanson had inhaled while working on the company’s boilers as well as those made by other companies and from having worked in close proximity to drywallers over the years. Despite the multiplicity of sources, the jury determined that the manufacturer’s negligence had been the proximate cause of Mr. Swanson’s death, and ordered them to pay $5,489,688 to the victim’s family.