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Johnson & Johnson Floats New $6.5 Billion Settlement for Talc Mesothelioma Claims
There are currently more than 40,000 mesothelioma and ovarian cancer claims pending against Johnson & Johnson, accusing the consumer giant of negligently allowing their iconic baby powder product’s talc to be contaminated with asbestos and not warning of its dangers. After two unsuccessful attempts at a controversial bankruptcy filing that included a settlement for those
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Jury in Mesothelioma Claim Against BNSF Railway Awards Families $4 Million Each
Four years after their loved ones died of malignant mesothelioma, two Libby, Montana families have each been awarded $4 million in damages to be paid by BNSF Railway. Joyce Walder and Thomas Wells both lived near the company’s railyard and died of the asbestos-related disease. The families accused the company of negligently exposing their loved ones
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Louisiana Court Hands Down Decision on Mesothelioma Expert Witness Testimony
A lawsuit filed by the family of mesothelioma victim Terry Legendre is scheduled to begin next week in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana. As the trial date approaches, both the victim’s family and the defendant companies have sought to exclude testimony from each other’s expert witnesses. The judge hearing the arguments
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Asbestos & Mesothelioma Advocacy Group Hosts Free Webinar
The Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization, the largest independent organization in the United States that gives mesothelioma and asbestos-related disease victims a united voice, is hosting a free Zoom webinar on legacy asbestos prevention. The event is part of the organization’s Global Asbestos Awareness Month activities.
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Asbestos Pipe Company Continues its Quest to Stop Mesothelioma Lawsuit
Last October, Justice Adam Silvera of the Supreme Court of New York ruled against Ameron International’s request for dismissal of the case filed against it by mesothelioma victim Rudolf Horvath. Unhappy with his decision, the company appealed it to the First Department, which rejected the company’s argument and affirmed the decision to allow the victim’s claim
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Railway’s Request for Sanctions in Mesothelioma Case Denied
It’s been decades since asbestos fibers blew around Libby, Montana, but malignant mesothelioma victims and others who suffered asbestos-related illnesses continue seeking justice against the companies responsible for their illnesses and deaths. In a case scheduled to be heard early next month, the family of a mesothelioma victim recently avoided sanctions being sought by BNSF
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Talc Company’s Appeal of Years’-Old Mesothelioma Verdict Fails
Sandra Reichart died of malignant mesothelioma in 2019, and her daughter, Holly Fisher, filed a claim against the companies she blamed for her mother’s death. In 2022 she was awarded $400,000, but one of the companies assigned a portion of that verdict filed a motion for post-trial relief. This month the Superior Court of Pennsylvania
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Jury Orders Johnson & Johnson to Pay $45 Million for Mesothelioma Death
For two years, mesothelioma and ovarian cancer lawsuits accusing Johnson & Johnson of negligently selling asbestos-contaminated powder have been delayed by bankruptcy proceedings. But with the hold lifted, cases have begun being heard across the country, and this week an Illinois jury awarded a victim’s survivors $45 million in compensation.
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Texas Judge Reverses Lower Court’s Decision in Favor of Asbestosis Victim
Carolyn Burford died of hypoxic respiratory failure related to her asbestosis, a condition that — like mesothelioma and asbestos-related cancer — is caused by exposure to asbestos. Though a trial court dismissed the case her family filed against Alcoa based on lack of “proof of causation,” an appellate court reversed that decision, allowing the case
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Australian Researchers Test Mesothelioma Pleural Effusions for Use in Personalized Therapies
Malignant mesothelioma is challenging for numerous reasons. Always fatal, mesothelioma remains latent for decades before appearing in an aggressive and fast-moving way. Making matters worse, the condition’s rarity limits scientists’ ability to test new treatments. To address this, Australian researchers have explored using pleural effusion samples from patients to create models called “organoids” on which
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Precision Medicine Approach to Cancer May Benefit Mesothelioma Patients
A recently completed clinical study is pointing to a new, functional precision medicine approach to cancer that may improve outcomes for patients diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma. The new strategy, the creation of cancer researcher Diana Azzam of Florida International University, targets individual patients’ cancers by combining genetic testing with a new way to test their
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Mesothelioma Victim’s Family Files Suit Against Union Pacific Railroad
A new mesothelioma claim is making its way through the federal courts. The lawsuit was originally filed by Anthony Ditcharo, but since he succumbed to his illness, his pursuit of justice is being pursued on his behalf by his surviving family members, who recently asked the court to return their case to their local court
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Study Investigating Tumor Microenvironment May Impact Mesothelioma Treatment
Malignant mesothelioma is one of the most challenging diseases confronting modern medicine. The aggressive form of asbestos-related cancer has been resistant to traditional therapies, stymying researchers, frustrating physicians, and devastating patients and their families. A recent study examining variations in lung cancer microenvironments has yielded information that may provide new answers and avenues of exploration
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Mesothelioma Risk an Issue Raised in California Liability Claim
Most mesothelioma lawsuits revolve around past exposure to asbestos, and the toxic impact of the dangerous material. But asbestos presents an ongoing and future risk that can also be the subject of litigation. A recent case in California focused on a landlord who failed to disclose the presence of asbestos in a property they leased.
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Johnson & Johnson Ovarian Cancer Trial Sees Expert Testimony About Asbestos
Mesothelioma victims and victims of ovarian cancer are paying close attention to a trial taking place in Sarasota, Florida. The family of Pat Matthey is suing Johnson & Johnson, accusing it of negligently allowing talc in its iconic baby powder to be contaminated with the asbestos they believe caused her painful death in 2019.
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Fox Chase Cancer Center Researchers Demonstrate Mesothelioma Susceptibility
The search for a cure for malignant mesothelioma takes several different paths. Some researchers investigate the impact of specific medications, while physicians work to find better techniques and combinations of protocols to slow or stop the aggressive cancer’s progress. Still others are working to find what drives the development of asbestos-related cancer after exposure to
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Mesothelioma Lawsuit Against BNSF Railway Begins Today
Starting this morning, a Helena, Montana jury will begin hearing a claim filed by the families of two Libby, Montana mesothelioma victims. The survivors accuse BNSF Railway of negligently exposing their loved ones to asbestos during the years when the W.R. Grace & Co. mine operated near the town.
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Mesothelioma Victims Permitted to Join Lawsuits Against Asbestos Companies
Every mesothelioma victim has their own story of how they were exposed to asbestos, and each one’s survivors carries their own grief and sense of loss. However, pursuing a claim against the asbestos companies responsible can be exhausting and emotionally taxing, so the idea of joining forces and combining claims is very appealing. Asbestos companies
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Navy Veteran’s Widow Gets Clarification on Damages Following Mesothelioma Death
William Henry Banks died of malignant epithelial mesothelioma after having served as a machinist mate in the U.S. Navy and being exposed to asbestos onboard Navy vessels. His family members filed a wrongful death suit against 26 defendants, accusing them of causing his illness and death and seeking damages for his and their suffering. A
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Philadelphia Teacher Blames Asbestos in School Building for Rare Cancer
Juan Namnun is more than a teacher and coach at Philadelphia’s Frankford High School: he is also a graduate of the school, and the popular educator blames his many years spent in the 100+-year-old building for his diagnosis with a rare form of cancer. After multiple surgeries, chemotherapy, and a complex recovery, Namnum and his
