My clients were the widow and daughter of a 59-year-old mesothelioma victim. This disabling and deadly disease is conclusively linked to asbestos exposure. The victim’s father worked as a sheet-metal mechanic at a major shipbuilding facility for over 40-years where the father was exposed to significant amounts of asbestos. The victim and his father recalled the father coming home often with clothes covered in dust. Both also recalled the father using a blower in the presence of his children to blow the dust off of his clothes prior to entering the home.The victim was diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma at age 59 and died less than 6 months later. His wife and adult daughter continued the fight he started to hold the shipyard and its suppliers and others accountable for their knowingly negligent use of the known cancer causing product asbestos without warning to the shipyard workers or others.My client’s experts in industrial hygiene established that the victim’s father’s exposure to asbestos in his workplace and on his clothes was beyond de minimis background levels and in excess of any recognized safe level. Experts in mesothelioma pathology conclusively established that the victim’s diagnosis was causally related to exposure to asbestos. And, the defendant’s own documents and testimony established knowledge of the dangers of asbestos and their failure to warn workers and end-users of this deadly product.
After a long, hard fought battle by two my co-counsel and I, settlements were reached with all parties approximately one-week prior to trial beginning. In total, settlements for my clients exceeded $2,000,000.
