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Jury Awards $12.75 Million in Mesothelioma Case Against Cosmetic Manufacturer
A Los Angeles County Superior Court jury has ordered cosmetic manufacturer Port Jervis Laboratories, Inc. (formerly Kolmar Laboratories) to pay $12.75 million in damages to the family of a Los Angeles physician who died from mesothelioma. The jury found that the company had failed to warn consumers about the dangers of asbestos hidden in its…
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Delaying Asbestos Inspections Creates Mesothelioma & Financial Risks
Mesothelioma and other serious health hazards, unexpected financial burdens, and legal complications are just a few of the risks tied to delaying asbestos inspections. Many property owners make the mistake of assuming that older materials are safe if left undisturbed, but underestimating the urgency of these inspections can lead to significant problems down the road.
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Asbestos Consumption Analysis Reveals Global Mesothelioma Risks in Central Asia
A new analysis revealing startling per capita asbestos consumption rates in Central Asia raises significant concerns about future mesothelioma diagnoses. The most impacted nations are Uzbekistan, which in 2023 was using 3.4 kilograms per person annually, and Tajikistan, where consumption was equivalent to 2.34 kilograms per capita in 2023. The dramatic increase in usage in…
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Cosmetics Supplier Files for Bankruptcy to Resolve Mesothelioma Lawsuits
Miyoshi America Inc., a supplier of cosmetics ingredients, filed for bankruptcy protection in Texas on Monday with a preapproved Chapter 11 plan aimed at resolving asbestos-related mesothelioma litigation. Despite disputing any talc-related or asbestos-related liability, the company is establishing a $20 million trust for the approximately 270 personal injury cases alleging its talc-based products were…
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J&J Mesothelioma & Ovarian Cancer Product Liability Case is Largest in UK History
The last decade has seen tens of thousands of U.S. mesothelioma and ovarian cancer victims file negligence and product liability claims against Johnson & Johnson and other talc powder companies, accusing them of knowingly selling baby powder contaminated with the asbestos that caused their illness. Now, a similar legal case against Johnson & Johnson has…
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Mesothelioma Study Reveals Patterns that Predict Immunotherapy Response
Immunotherapy is an exciting and innovative cancer treatment that holds great hope for patients diagnosed with mesothelioma, the rare and deadly asbestos-related disease, but there is a wide range of responses to the protocol, with 25% of patients seeing dramatic improvement and others getting no benefit at all. In seeking a better understanding of this…
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Study Tests Limited Surgery to Relieve Symptoms in Unresectable Mesothelioma Patients
The University of Chicago is conducting a clinical trial testing whether partial pleurectomy and decortication can help relieve symptoms for mesothelioma patients whose cancer can’t be completely removed. If the results are positive, it will offer significantly improved quality of life, even when the rare, asbestos-related cancer is too advanced or inaccessible for curative surgery.
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Oil Company Uses Offshore Work Location to Move Mesothelioma Claim to Federal Court
A mesothelioma victim’s personal injury lawsuit has been moved from the local Texas courthouse where it was originally filed to federal court following Chevron Phillips Chemical’s motion for removal. The company successfully asserted that Robert Lynn Patterson, Sr.’s 1960s occupational asbestos exposure happened while working on offshore oil rigs in federal waters.
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Supreme Court to Weigh Legality of Texas Two-Step Bankruptcy in Mesothelioma Lawsuits
After multiple companies have used a controversial bankruptcy strategy to evade mesothelioma and asbestos liability claims, victims affected by the maneuver have asked the Supreme Court to weigh in. The Texas Two-step court has seen companies separate their asbestos liabilities into newly created entities, and then request bankruptcy protection for the new company despite the…
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Epidemiology Professor Testifies that Talc Products Increase Ovarian Cancer and Mesothelioma Risk
As ovarian cancer and mesothelioma victims continue seeking justice from Johnson & Johnson, the three families whose case is currently being heard in a Los Angeles courtroom had their claim strengthened yesterday by testimony from an epidemiology professor. Dr. Rebecca Smith-Bindman of the University of California, San Francisco, told the jury that multiple studies have…
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Global Study Shows North American Mesothelioma Declines, Others Rising
A comprehensive study analyzing mesothelioma and other asbestos-related deaths in the Americas from 1990 to 2023 shows that, though North America had the highest mesothelioma and asbestos-related cancer burden in 2023, incidence rates are also declining rapidly. At the same time, the report showed that there’s been an alarming increase among women in Southern Latin…
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Shipyard Worker Blames Take-Home Asbestos Exposure for Wife’s Mesothelioma Death
Joseph Raymond Steib, Sr. lost his wife of 43 years to mesothelioma that he blames on workplace asbestos he unwittingly carried into their family home. Elaine Weber Steib was diagnosed with the rare form of cancer in April 2024 and died just two months later. The former shipyard worker filed a wrongful death claim against…
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At Ovarian Cancer Baby Powder Trial, Former Commissioner Says J&J “Misled the FDA”
Testifying to a Los Angeles jury about claims Johnson & Johnson’s talc products caused three women’s deadly ovarian cancer, Dr. David A. Kessler detailed an internal document showing J&J’s concern over an FDA proposal to test talc instead of relying on industry self-testing. The former U.S. Food and Drug Administration commissioner has stated that the…
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Washington Supreme Court Allows Mesothelioma Victim’s Family to Continue Lawsuit
Reversing what originally appeared to be a legal defeat, the Washington Supreme Court has ruled that the estate of an oil refinery worker can still bring mesothelioma claims against an insulation company over its role as a seller of asbestos-containing products. A lower court had originally halted Lee Hetterly’s family’s case on the grounds that…
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Appeals Court Revives Mesothelioma Lawsuit Against Union Carbide
Judges from California’s appellate court gave new life to a lawsuit filed by a mesothelioma victim against Union Carbide. Alvarino F. DaSilva and his wife, Dianna, had previously seen their claim against the company dismissed by an Alameda County Superior Court judge, but the appeals court agreed that the lower court’s decision was made in…
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Jury Told that Johnson & Johnson Knew its Baby Powder Contained Asbestos
This week, a California jury heard opening statements in the latest trial pitting Johnson & Johnson against mesothelioma and ovarian cancer victims. This is the second ovarian cancer case to move forward since the company abandoned its bankruptcy effort, and attorneys for the families of three women wasted no time in saying that J&J knew…
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Study Shows Impact of Asbestos Decades After Mines Closed
Decades after South Africa banned asbestos mining, former miners continue dying from mesothelioma and other long-term effects of exposure. According to new University of Cape Town research, those working in the deadly industry experienced an overall mortality 4% higher than the general population. Notably, mortality among women who worked in the asbestos mines was 17%…
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Study to Test Mesothelioma Risk from Asbestos in Children’s Play Sand
Concerns about the risk of mesothelioma have led researchers in New Zealand to begin world-first testing of whether asbestos fibers found in children’s play sand become airborne. The issue has become critical as growing instances of contaminated sand and other toys have raised the question of whether the mineral poses an inhalation risk to children,…
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J&J Mesothelioma & Ovarian Cancer Claims Will Proceed After Bankruptcy Filings Fail
Over the last few years, Johnson & Johnson has repeatedly attempted to evade compensating mesothelioma and ovarian cancer victims through a controversial bankruptcy strategy known as the “Texas Two-Step.” With its attempt rejected by bankruptcy courts for a third time, the company has indicated it will turn to defending itself against individual claims in court.…
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Study Shows Immune Cell Clusters Predict Which Mesothelioma Patients Will Live Longer
Scientists have discovered that mesothelioma patients whose tumors contain organized clusters of immune cells, called B cells, live significantly longer than patients without these clusters. This finding may help doctors both predict survival and develop new treatments for the deadly asbestos-related cancer.
