EPA Imposes Stricter Standards on Mines due to Asbestos and Other Toxins
Following Monday’s explosion at the Upper Big Branch South Mine in West Virginia, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) immediately implemented stricter standards related to water quality in mines. Water in these mine sites often contains pollution from toxic substances.
These stricter standards set by the EPA follow the example of their intervention in the Libby, Montana mines. Thousands of residents in Libby were diagnosed with asbestos-related illness like Mesothelioma and Lung Cancer as a result of asbestos contamination of the mine run by W.R. Grace & Co. A Montana doctor reported abnormally high incidences of asbestos-related illnesses in his town. This physician noted that the rate was so high that patients were being diagnosed with asbestosis, lung cancer and Mesothelioma at the rate of at least one per day. Miners, construction workers, firefighters and veterans are usually at high-risk for asbestos exposure on the job. Asbestos-related illnesses do not usually strike until decades after exposure, and some illnesses such as Mesothelioma are fatal and have no known cure.
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If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with an asbestos-related illness, contact our law firm today. We understand how devastating it can be, and we will fight aggressively on you and your family’s behalf. Call now for a free no-obligation consultation.
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New York Jury Awards $35 Million in Asbestos Claim
At trial, Keasbey argued that the men’s lung cancers were cigarette smoking-related and that they were not exposed to significant enough doses of asbestos to cause lung cancer.
But on March 22, after phase I of the reverse-bifurcated trial, the jury returned an $11 million award for Robert Lettiere for pain and suffering.
At the same time, the jury returned $26 million for Edward Martin and his wife, Bonita, including $18 million for pain and suffering; $942,850 in economic damages to Bonita Martin; $9,063 in economic damages to Edward Martin, and a loss of consortium award of $7 million."
Read the full article at LexisOne.
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Jury Verdict in NY Asbestos Brake Exposure Case
This is the first actual verdict I have heard of:
"DaimlerChrysler Corp. must pay $20 million to a retired police officer and brake repairman whose right lung was removed because of cancer caused by asbestos, a jury ruled.
A jury in Manhattan's state Supreme Court ruled that Alfred D'Ulisse, 73, of North Massapequa, N.Y., and his wife were owed a total of $25 million, D'Ulisse's lawyer Jerry Kristal said Monday.
DaimlerChrysler was found to be 10 percent liable for D'Ulisse's cancer, but will be responsible for a total of 80 percent of the damages because two other companies found to be liable no longer exist, Kristal said."
Read the full article at Law.com.
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First Jury Verdict in Asbestos Talc Case
"More than $3 million in compensatory damages were awarded by a Middlesex County Superior Court jury to a New Jersey widow whose husband operated pottery studios in Skillman, Lawrenceville and Lambertville, New Jersey before contracting the agonizingly painful, always fatal disease."
Read more at Yahoo.com. Posted In Asbestos
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Illinois Jury Awards $5.5 Million to Asbestos Victim
The lawsuit, filed in summer 2004, alleged John Hoogerwerf was exposed to asbestos without warnings of its dangers and it caused lung cancer. He fought cancer for a little more than a year before his death on July 17, 2002.
The suit accused numerous companies of a conspiracy to hide the harms of asbestos, but last week’s verdict was solely against Honeywell International Inc. Hoogerwerf installed insulation on pipes and boilers using materials sold by Bendix, which eventually became part of Honeywell."
Read more at The Pentagraph.com Posted In Asbestos
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Jury Awards $13.5 Million in Retrial of Texas Asbestos Case
Attorneys from Dallas-based Baron & Budd told jurors that Timothy Shawn Bostic, who died of mesothelioma on Sept. 5, 2003, had been exposed to the fire-retardant mineral as a child and teen working with his father. According to Baron & Budd lawyers Charla G. Aldous and Chris Panatier, evidence at trial included documents showing that Georgia-Pacific officials knew of the health hazards caused by asbestos as early as 1966, but the company continued to manufacture asbestos-containing products until 1977.
Bostic’s wife and child had been awarded $9.3 million in March 2005 in the case. But, said Aldous, because the trial judge expressed concern over the way the jury had calculated punitive damages, she offered the plaintiffs the opportunity to either accept a reduced award or face a new trial.
'We decided to take a chance on a new trial,' said Aldous. 'As it turned out, that was a good decision.'"
Read the full article at Law.com here.
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