Almost two years after an Italian court sentenced Swiss billionaire Stephan Schmidheiny to twelve years in jail for causing hundreds of deaths from mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases, his appeal in another case resulted in only a minor change — his manslaughter conviction in the death of 91 factory workers in his company’s Eternit factory in Casale Monferra was converted to an involuntary manslaughter conviction and his sentence reduced by three years.
Industrialist Blamed for Mesothelioma Deaths Linked to Eternit Factory
Even as Stephan Schmidheiny’s company negotiated to compensate more than 2,000 victims of mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases, his attorneys argued that he was not responsible for the asbestos tragedy he’s been accused of causing. The billionaire is heir to a building materials fortune that dates back to 1867 when his great-grandfather founded a brick yard in eastern Switzerland. He joined the family business in 1974 as a sales manager and became board president of his father’s construction materials company, Swiss Eternit Group, in 1976.
Since 2009, Schmidheiny has faced multiple criminal charges in Italy, including for involuntary manslaughter in a separate mesothelioma case involving a factory in Cavagnolo. In that case, he was sentenced to four years in prison, but that conviction was overturned and reduced to a conditional prison sentence of one year and eighteen months. He was found guilty of negligence that led to 392 asbestos-related deaths at Italian Eternit factories in the 1970s and 1980s.
Mesothelioma Advocacy Group Backed Criminal Case Against Billionaire
In the most recent criminal case, mesothelioma advocacy group National Asbestos Observatory joined forces with attorney Andrea Ferrero Merlino as a civil party. In response to the sentence, the group issued a statement saying in part that the sentence “does justice to the many deaths from mesothelioma and other asbestos-related illnesses that have affected workers and residents in areas close to the Eternit factory over the years.”
Asbestos has led to mesothelioma deaths and other illnesses around the world. If you or someone you love has been impacted and needs help, contact the Patient Advocates at Mesothelioma.net today at 1-800-692-8608 to learn more.
