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Man Awarded $28.5 Million for Lung Cancer and Asbestosis from World Trade Center
In 2020, James Petro filed an asbestos lawsuit against multiple defendants that he blamed for his lung cancer and asbestosis diagnoses. After resolving his claims with several defendants out of court, he was awarded $13.5 million in damages for past pain and suffering and $15 million for future pain and suffering. Though the defendants filed
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Study Results Suggest Risk of Mesothelioma Increased During Some Asbestos Removals
A study published in a recent issue of Scientific Reports has concluded that improper asbestos removal processes can actually lead to increased contamination within and outside of treated buildings. If true, this would lead to an increased risk of malignant mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases.
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Laundering Husband’s Work Clothes Blamed for Rhode Island Woman’s Mesothelioma
The judges of the Superior Court of Rhode Island recently heard arguments on the admissibility of expert witness testimony surrounding the 2018 mesothelioma death of Bonnie J. Bonito. The woman’s illness was blamed on exposure to asbestos carried home on her late ex-husband’s work clothes, which she laundered.
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Connecticut Jury Awards Mesothelioma Victim $15 Million Plus Punitive Damages
A Connecticut real estate developer with malignant mesothelioma who filed product liability claims against Johnson & Johnson and other talc manufacturers has been awarded $15 million in compensatory damages plus punitive damages by a state court jury. Evan Plotkin accused the consumer giant, as well as several of its subsidiaries, of strict liability, negligence, failure
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West Virginia Lung Cancer Victim Names Alma Mater and Others in Asbestos Lawsuit
Donna Spurling’s lung cancer diagnosis came as a shock; she had never smoked cigarettes. In searching for a cause for her illness, she determined that she had been exposed to legacy asbestos on the campus of her college, Fairmont State University in West Virginia, as well as in other buildings where she completed educational rotations.
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Virginia Jury Awards $3.45 Million to Family of Mesothelioma Victim
After Jim Katcham died of malignant mesothelioma in 2022, his family filed a personal injury lawsuit against notorious asbestos company John Crane, Inc., saying occupational exposure to the company’s asbestos-containing product forty-five years earlier had caused his death. Last week, a jury hearing his claim ordered the company to pay his survivors $3.45 million in
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Pennsylvania Couple Win $3.8 Million Mesothelioma Verdict
Harry Chirdon was diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma after a lifetime of having worked as a boilermaker. He and his wife filed a personal injury lawsuit against his former employer, Foster Wheeler, charging the company with neglecting to protect its employees from being exposed to asbestos. An Allegheny County jury agreed and awarded the company to
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Judge Denies Boiler Company’s Request to Dismiss Mesothelioma Punitive Damages Claim
Anthony Fleischman was diagnosed with malignant pleural mesothelioma after years of working with Burnham boilers and other asbestos-containing equipment. When he and his wife filed suit against the companies they blame for his exposure, they included a request for punitive damages from boiler manufacturer Burnham, LLC. The company filed a petition to have that claim
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Woman’s Death Blamed on Second-Hand Exposure to DAP Products
Anna M. Buczynski died of malignant mesothelioma after decades of laundering her former husband Anthony’s clothing. When she was diagnosed with the rare, asbestos-related disease, she identified the DAP, Inc. caulking and glazing products that Mr. Buczynski had used around their home, as well as through his hardware business. Her estate filed a lawsuit against DAP,
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Asbestos Company’s Attempt to Overturn Mesothelioma Verdict Fails
It’s been almost eight years since the late Thomas Constantine was diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma, and more than two years since a Philadelphia jury ordered his employer to pay his survivors $2.3 million in damages. Despite the evidence and the verdict, Lenox Instrument Company filed a motion requesting a new trial or entry of judgment
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Woman Files Mesothelioma Claim Against Estee Lauder and Others
In 2018, Victoria Pawlowski was diagnosed with peritoneal mesothelioma. She blamed asbestos in talc products she’d used, and filed suit in 2021 against Avon Products, Estee Lauder, l’Oreal, and other cosmetic companies. Estee Lauder filed a motion to dismiss the complaint, arguing that the filing was outside the statute of limitations. Justice Adam Silvera of
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Chicago Appeals Court Upholds $45 Million Mesothelioma Verdict
In April 2024, a Cook County, Illinois, jury ordered Johnson & Johnson to pay Theresa Garcia’s family $45 million in damages after malignant mesothelioma claimed her life. The company submitted a request to the Circuit Court, arguing that a new trial was in order. This week, the appeals court denied the company’s request, upholding the
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Mesothelioma Widow Diagnosed with Asbestos-Related Lung Cancer
Climmie Craft’s diagnosis of asbestos-related lung cancer was unsurprising after her husband Jerry died of malignant mesothelioma: she had spent years laundering his asbestos-covered clothing and breathing in the deadly fibers. When she filed suit against the companies she blamed for their exposure, the defendants successfully argued against admission of testimony by an expert witness
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Court Denies VW’s Appeal of $4.7M Mesothelioma Verdict
Almost two years ago, a Washington state jury ordered Volkswagen Group of America to pay $5.75 million in damages to the estate and family of Thomas Sorrentino after he died of malignant mesothelioma. Though the award was reduced to $4.7 million, the company appealed the verdict, arguing that the evidence did not support the verdict and that
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Court Denies Asbestos Companies’ Motions in Mesothelioma Wrongful Death Claim
The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California recently handed down several important rulings in the case of mesothelioma victim William Ankiel, Jr. Mr. Ankiel was a Navy veteran who died of the rare asbestos-related disease shortly after having been diagnosed, and his family is seeking compensation for his loss. Though the asbestos
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Recall of Asbestos-contaminated Baby Powder Raises Fear of Mesothelioma
A New Jersey-based medical supply company has issued a recall on 62 cases of asbestos-contaminated baby powder sent to distributors in 12 states, raising concerns over exposure that can lead to malignant mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases. The contamination was discovered during a sample testing conducted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
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Expert Discusses Challenges in Assessing Surgery’s Role in Treating Mesothelioma
In a recent post on the online medical resource OncLive, the director of the New York Mesothelioma Program at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai discussed the challenges of randomized controlled trials in assessing the role of surgery in treating the rare form of cancer. Andrea Wolf, MD, MPH, pointed to issues in
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European Union Data Reveals Impact of Mesothelioma
An official website of the European Union (EU) marked Mesothelioma Awareness Day (September 26th) with an article reviewing the most recent statistics on the impact of the rare asbestos-related disease on the EU population.
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Oxygen-Dependent Philadelphia Asbestosis Victim Wins $25 Million Jury Verdict
Asbestos exposure puts people at risk for several significant illnesses, with malignant mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, and asbestosis representing the most commonly diagnosed. While mesothelioma, a rare and fatal form of cancer, is considered the most serious of these diseases, all three are life-changing. The degree to which even the least life-threatening of these illnesses
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Chinese Researchers Identify Highly Accurate Mesothelioma Biomarker
Malignant mesothelioma is an aggressive, fatal form of cancer caused by exposure to asbestos. The disease has presented several significant challenges to the medical community, including its resemblance to other, more benign conditions and difficulties in accurately and quickly diagnosing it. Now, researchers from China have published a study identifying a valuable diagnostic and prognostic
