In the United States, companies blamed for others’ malignant mesothelioma face justice in civil trials seeking financial compensation, but other countries handle things differently. In Italy, companies’ owners are held responsible for workplace accidents or deaths, and are subject to both financial penalties and jail time. A Swiss billionaire ordered to pay hundreds of millions in damages has also been sentenced to twelve years in prison after being found guilty of aggravated manslaughter.
Billionaire Owned Asbestos Plant Blamed for Hundreds of Mesothelioma Deaths
In what is being called the most significant workplace death trial in Italy’s history, Stephan Schmidheiny was found guilty of causing the deaths of 392 people who died of malignant pleural mesothelioma and other asbestos-related deaths. Schmidheiny is an industrialist and former main shareholder of a cement production company called Eternit Italia. The company’s largest factory was located in Casale Monferrato in Piedmont, Italy.
Casale Monferrato has seen an unusual number of people die of malignant mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases. Sixty of the 392 victims referenced in the manslaughter trial were factory workers, and the others lived near the factory. Testimony in the trial noted that though the company had been a source of pride for the town, its waste was crushed outside of its facility, allowing asbestos dust to blow through the area.
Son of Mesothelioma Victim Notes Town’s High Incidence of Rare Cancer
Among the factory’s victims was 76-year-old Rosa Grangia, who died of malignant mesothelioma months after being diagnosed. Her son Marco Sagliotti said she had lived 2.2 miles from the factory and walked the road that passed the factory several times a day. He said that doctors started noticing the rise in pleural mesothelioma in the area in the late 1970s. There are now approximately 50 cases of the rare asbestos-related cancer diagnosed in Casale Monferrato every year.
Ruled guilty of manslaughter, Schmidheiny will appeal the 12-year sentence. He was also ordered to pay 50 million euros in provisional damages to Casale Monferrato’s local authority, 30 million Euros to the Italian state, and 500 million euros to a local association for relatives of victims of asbestos-related diseases.
If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma and would like information on pursuing justice, the Patient Advocates at Mesothelioma.net can help. Contact us today at 1-800-692-8608.
