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Court of Appeals Affirms $10 Million Punitive Damages Mesothelioma Award
After a St. Louis jury ordered them to pay a Navy widow $1.5 million in compensatory damages and $10 million in punitive damages following her husband’s malignant mesothelioma death, Crane Co. appealed the decision. The company argued that Jeannette G. Poage had failed to meet her burden of proof on her claim and that the
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Navy Widow Prevails, Court Affirms $5 Million Punitive Damages Mesothelioma Award
Navy veteran George Coulbourn died of malignant mesothelioma after years of exposure to asbestos in his role as a machinist. He filed a product liability claim against gasket company John Crane, and after his death, his widow Sandra continued the claim as a wrongful death lawsuit. At trial, the jury awarded her $9 million in
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Judge Denies Asbestos Company Arguments in Mesothelioma Claim
When John Pruitt was diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma, he took legal action against the companies that had provided asbestos-containing materials to the ships on which he had served during his time in the U.S. Navy. Though two of the companies objected to a magistrate judge’s reports and recommendations regarding dismissing the case, an appellate court
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Court Denies Asbestos Companies’ Request to Dismiss Lung Cancer Widow’s Claim
Leona Rhoades’s husband Dewey died of asbestos-related lung cancer after decades of working as a mechanical repair worker on U.S. Navy ships and other job sites. She filed a wrongful death lawsuit against 43 asbestos companies, accusing them of negligently exposing him to asbestos. The three defendants who remained filed motions for summary judgment, asking
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Mesothelioma Researchers Identify Inactivated Gene as Potential Therapeutic Target
Researchers are constantly searching for new, more effective ways to treat malignant pleural mesothelioma, the rare and deadly form of cancer caused by exposure to asbestos. While some focus on applying existing protocols in new ways and combinations, others are examining the disease at a cellular level to see if they can find new vulnerabilities.
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Asbestos Company Execs Transfer Assets to Avoid Mesothelioma Liability
Recent legal activities in a federal court in Connecticut are revealing an insidious plot by asbestos company executives to avoid paying claims to victims of malignant mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases. There are two parallel cases filed by the company’s bankruptcy trustee: One accuses the executives of conflicts of interest and concealing their transfer of
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Study Finds FDG-PET/CT and CT Both Provide Accurate Mesothelioma Evaluation
Patients diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma go through a series of tests to determine the best course of action and path forward. For those whose tumors are deemed unresectable – or unable to be removed surgically – treatment options are limited to medical and radiation therapies. A recent study examined the ability of both FDG-PET/CT and
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Study Confirms Validity of Previous Mesothelioma Staging Model
Though patients suspected of having mesothelioma may believe that treatment will start as soon as the illness is identified, confirmation of the disease sets off a new set of processes, the most important of which may be staging. Doctors must determine how far the disease has progressed to create the best possible treatment plan to
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NCI Immunotherapy Study Offers Hope for Mesothelioma Patients
A small clinical trial conducted by researchers from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is offering hope to patients diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma and other metastatic solid tumors. The study showed that a new cellular immunotherapy approach may produce lymphocytes with receptors that recognize and attack specific types of cancer cells.
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Washington State Supreme Court Agrees to Hear Mesothelioma Case
After a trial court dismissed his mesothelioma claim and that decision was upheld by an appellate court, Jeffrey Cockrum asked the highest court in Washington state to weigh in on his claim. At issue is whether an employer’s knowledge that exposure to asbestos causes illness provides an exception to the rules precluding personal injury claims
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Glasgow Mesothelioma Researcher Offers Vision for Increased Understanding
In an insightful article published in the journal Open Access Government, Dr. Daniel J. Murphy of the University of Glasgow School of Cancer Sciences suggests that more robust use of mouse models of mesothelioma may hold the key to predicting which individuals exposed to asbestos are most likely to develop the rare, asbestos-related disease.
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Navy Veteran’s Mesothelioma Lawsuit Highlights Ubiquitous Use of Asbestos
It is well known that America’s military veterans, particularly those who served in the Navy before 1980, are at significant risk following constant exposure to asbestos. A recently filed suit accusing over a dozen asbestos companies of negligence highlights the sheer number of asbestos-containing materials a single service member encountered on a day-to-day basis.
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Mesothelioma Victim’s Charge Against Johnson & Johnson Survives Summary Judgment
Ashley Johnson blames her malignant epithelioid mesothelioma diagnosis on her use of Johnson & Johnson talc powder products. When she filed a lawsuit against the company and its subsidiary LTL management in Louisiana, she accused the companies of both a construction/composition defect and nonconformity to an express warranty, in addition to failure to warn and
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Mesothelioma Researcher Prevails Against Johnson & Johnson
For years, asbestos companies have countered mesothelioma lawsuits by arguing against the science: They claim there is no proof of causation and quibble over methods and statistics instead of taking responsibility for their negligence. Most recently, Johnson & Johnson filed suit against a scientist whose study linked talc-based consumer products to cancer, but last week
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Pilot Study Tests Use of Nivolumab Plus Chemotherapy Before Mesothelioma Surgery
A mesothelioma study presented at the 2024 American Society of Clinical Oncology’s Annual Meeting suggests that treatment with neoadjuvant nivolumab, pemetrexed, and platinum may allow more patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma to choose lung-sparing surgery as an option.
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Will Saliva Tests Make Detecting Mesothelioma Easier?
The public is increasingly aware of the link between asbestos and malignant mesothelioma, but that doesn’t make diagnosis any easier. Unless a person displaying symptoms specifically notes their history of exposure to the carcinogen, it is unlikely that their physician will start with the possibility of the extremely rare disease. Still, researchers are developing better
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UK Research Demonstrates Role of Asbestos Fibers in the Development of Mesothelioma
Malignant mesothelioma is unique in many ways. The exceedingly rare form of cancer is also extremely aggressive and has proven resistant to all types of treatment. Making matters more challenging is the continued mystery of how the disease develops. A recent study conducted by a collaborative team of researchers from the United Kingdom has found that
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Court Refuses to Reopen Discovery in Mesothelioma Claim
Michael and Victoria Marcus filed a personal injury lawsuit against multiple companies after he was diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma, citing exposure to asbestos that he suffered during his service in the United States Navy. As the case approaches and both sides prepare for trial, some defending companies have asked to reopen discovery because they overlooked
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Johnson & Johnson’s Effort to Subpoena Mesothelioma Expert’s Records Denied
Johnson & Johnson is facing numerous claims filed by victims of malignant mesothelioma and ovarian cancer. In one such case filed in New Jersey, the company has repeatedly attempted to access the identities of individuals whose medical data was used by Dr. Jacqueline Moline for a mesothelioma study she conducted. Justice Adam Silvera of the
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Egyptian Study Reveals Long Noncoding RNA’s Potential for Early Mesothelioma Diagnosis
The rare asbestos-related cancer malignant mesothelioma is always considered fatal, a fact that is partially attributed to its characteristic late diagnosis. Recently, researchers from the German University in Cairo conducted a study of long noncoding RNAs to determine whether their presence could be used to confirm the presence of mesothelioma. Their results promise an effective
