In what is believed to be the largest asbestos verdict ever awarded in the state of Massachusetts, a Boston jury has awarded a widower $83 million, including $60 million in punitive damages. Michael Lapointe’s lawsuit against American Art Clay Company accused the company’s asbestos-containing ceramics products of causing his wife, Judith’s, death, and called the company’s concealment and failure to warn of the products’ dangers “malicious, willful, wanton, or reckless.”
Mesothelioma Victim Worked with Ceramics Products for Decades
Mrs. Lapointe died of mesothelioma just two months after being diagnosed with the rare asbestos-related disease. Over six days, the jury was presented with details of her lifetime of exposure to American Art Clay Company’s ceramic product AMACO at Mohawk Ceramics, the ceramics studio owned by her mother.
The mesothelioma victim had worked in the studio from the 1950s through the 1980s, when it closed. Her exposure to the company’s products in the dusty studio included scraping and sanding slips from hundreds of ceramic molds and sanding greenware by hand. She had also been responsible for cleaning the studio, including sweeping, which raised clouds of asbestos-containing dust.
Mesothelioma Verdict Includes Significant Punitive Damages Award
Though the ceramics company argued that they produced numerous liquid slip products and there was no proof that the mesothelioma victim had been exposed to one that contained asbestos, the jury was convinced by Mr. Lapointe’s testimony about his wife exposure, as well as evidence that the company had known or should have known about the health risks associated with asbestos in their products for decades, but ailed to issue warnings or take action to change the formulation of its product.
The jury award included $10 million for the pain and suffering Mrs. Lapointe’s mesothelioma had caused her and $13 million to Michael Lapointe for his loss. The $60 million balance was awarded as punitive damages in response to the company’s failure to take action to protect against the victim’s illness and death.
If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with mesothelioma, the Patient Advocates at Mesothelioma.net are here to help. Contact us today at 1-800-692-8608 to learn more.
