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Validity of 2009 Mesothelioma Staging Study Confirmed
Back in 2009, the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer presented a model they’d developed to help stage malignant mesothelioma cases. Since then, additional data has been added to the model’s database to continue enhancing its accuracy. This week, the group’s members attending its annual conference in Singapore learned that the model is
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Court Denies Asbestos Company’s Motion to Overturn $35 Million Mesothelioma Verdict
In November of 2022, mesothelioma victim James McWilliams heard a New York jury order a valve manufacturer to pay him $35,000,000 in damages, including $23 million for past and future pain and suffering. The defendant, Jenkins Bros., filed a motion to order a new trial or revise a verdict they called “clearly excessive.” Last month
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Jury Takes Just 20 Minutes to Award Mesothelioma Victim’s Family $40 Million
In January of 2020, Bruce Torgerson succumbed to malignant pleural mesothelioma after an 18-month battle. He left behind two adult children, grandchildren, and a wife who was suffering from Alzheimer’s. Late last month, a 12-person jury in Cook County, Illinois awarded his survivors $40,750,000 in damages from three companies that they blamed for having negligently
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Aggressive Mesothelioma Surgery Combined with Chemotherapy Linked to Worse Outcomes
Identifying the right treatment plan is one of the many challenges faced by mesothelioma patients and their physicians. Those whose tumors are operable need to decide whether to pursue an aggressive form of surgery that removes the affected lung or to go with a less invasive procedure. A report issued today suggests that those who
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Study Says Adding Immunotherapy to Chemotherapy Improves Outcomes for Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma
Attendees at the 2023 Best of ASCO Seattle meeting were treated to exciting news from a recent Phase III mesothelioma study: presented revealed that patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma treated with a chemoimmunotherapy regimen experienced significantly improved overall survival compared to chemotherapy alone.
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Researchers Explore Inhalable Gene Therapy for Mesothelioma
Because asbestos has been used all over the world, malignant pleural mesothelioma has become a global problem. The search for effective treatments is being conducted all over the world, and researchers from the Hyogo College of Medicine recently shared positive results from a study of an inhalable gene therapy.
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Overview of Peritoneal Mesothelioma Highlights Advances in Treatment
Though malignant mesothelioma is always considered a fatal form of cancer, advances in the treatment of peritoneal mesothelioma – which affects the lining of the abdominal cavity – have offered significant improvements in survival. A group of researchers from the National Institutes of Health recently published an overview that summarized the current state of knowledge.
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Will New MicroRNA Therapy Discovery Halt Mesothelioma Tumor Growth?
Researchers from Purdue University have developed a new cancer therapy that may hold the key to slowing the growth of deadly mesothelioma tumors. The scientists revealed that after tricking cancer cells into absorbing a small portion of RNA that blocks cell division, the aggressive cells did not increase in size for three weeks. By contrast,
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Massachusetts Developer Indicted After Demolition Risks Mesothelioma for Thousands
The Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office has issued 104 indictments to a developer it fears raised the risk of malignant mesothelioma to thousands. The company is accused of illegally demolishing a former elementary school, spreading asbestos dust to a large neighborhood and exposing its own workers to the carcinogenic material at the same time.
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Complicated Jurisdictional Issues Resolved in Mesothelioma Claim
A mesothelioma diagnosis is devastating to both the individual victim and their family. In addition to all of the medical issues, the question of whether to seek compensation from those responsible looms large. Those who choose to move forward face a new set of challenges, with each individual situation carrying its own unique aspects. For
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Asbestos Company Attempts to Evade Liability for HVAC Technician’s Mesothelioma Death
In May of 2021, mesothelioma claimed the life of 82-year-old Benedict Silvestri. The New York man had spent years working as an HVAC technician, and his family blamed asbestos contained in the equipment he worked on for his illness and death. One of the companies named in their personal injury lawsuit was Rockwell Automation, which was
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Mesothelioma Victims’ Families Reach Settlement with Asbestos Company
While many other defendants remain, the families of two Dupont plant employees who died of malignant mesothelioma have reached a settlement with Armstrong International.
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Insulation Contractor’s Mesothelioma Death Spurs Family to Act
After years of working as an insulation contractor at shipyards in California, Hawaii, and Washington state, Dennis Freeman died of malignant mesothelioma. His family members filed lawsuits against multiple companies, seeking compensation for his suffering and their loss. Though several defendants petitioned to have the cases against them dismissed, the U.S. District Court for the
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Despite Company’s Objections, Mesothelioma Widow Can Add Wrongful Death and Punitive Damages Claims
In November of 2020, Ruth and Arnold Pritt filed a mesothelioma lawsuit against several companies, including John Crane, Inc. After Arnold’s death, Ruth filed an unopposed motion to substitute herself as plaintiff, and then filed a motion to amend the original claim to add claims for wrongful death and punitive damages. Though Crane objected to
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Kentucky Court of Appeals Revives Case of Daughter’s Mesothelioma
Malignant mesothelioma, the rare and deadly form of cancer, can strike anybody exposed to asbestos, whether that exposure occurs in the workplace or is carried home on a worker’s clothing. Last month the justices of the Court of Appeals of Kentucky reviewed a long-argued case involving a young woman’s mesothelioma death: Upon analysis, they reversed
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Judge Denies Mercedes Benz’s Request for Mesothelioma Victim Tissue Sample
A New York judge asked for urgent access to a mesothelioma victim’s tissue sample called the request “particularly egregious” in light of the circumstances of the case and the requestor’s long-time knowledge of the existence of the specimen. In denying the request from Mercedes Benz USA, Justice Adam Silvera of the Supreme Court of New York
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Washington Supreme Court Confirms Verdict in Mesothelioma Claim Against ExxonMobil
In 2021, mesothelioma victim Warren Wright’s family received a $4 million verdict that was later upheld by an appeals court. Wright’s mesothelioma was blamed on exposure to asbestos that occurred while working in ExxonMobile oil refineries. ExxonMobil appealed the verdict again to the Washington Supreme Court, which earlier this month upheld the original verdict. The court
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Illinois Mesothelioma Victims’ Families Now Able to Pursue Punitive Damages
Unfortunately, mesothelioma victims don’t always live long enough to see their personal injury lawsuit finish. While surviving family members can continue their loved ones’ quest for justice as a wrongful death claim, they are sometimes limited in the specific type of damages they can pursue. Though Illinois had previously barred these survivors from recovering punitive damages,
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Can Marine Bacteria Prevent Asbestos from Causing Mesothelioma?
Before it was known that asbestos exposure causes malignant mesothelioma and numerous other serious and deadly diseases, the mineral was considered invaluable for its strength and heat resistance. While its use is now banned in many countries, powerful industry lobbyists have fought this action in the United States, and its use and presence in existing
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Maui Fire Sites Create Risk of Mesothelioma and Other Asbestos-Related Diseases
As the death toll from the Maui fire mounts, mesothelioma experts and the powerful Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO) are warning residents and first responders of the risks posed by exposure to asbestos.
