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Louisiana Court Rules Against Shipyard in Mesothelioma Case
After his wife, Elaine, died from malignant mesothelioma, Joseph Raymond Steib, Sr., filed a lawsuit against Huntington Ingalls Incorporated, seeking justice and compensation for her death, which he believed was caused by asbestos exposure from his work at the Avondale Shipyards. When the company attempted to claim federal immunity protections and remove the case to…
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Boston Jury Awards $83 Million to Mesothelioma Victim
In what is believed to be the largest asbestos verdict ever awarded in the state of Massachusetts, a Boston jury has awarded a widower $83 million, including $60 million in punitive damages. Michael Lapointe’s lawsuit against American Art Clay Company accused the company’s asbestos-containing ceramics products of causing his wife, Judith’s, death, and called the…
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FDA Approval of New Solid Tumor Treatment Option Means More Choices for Mesothelioma Patients
The FDA’s recent approval of subcutaneous pembrolizumab (Keytruda Qlex) for solid tumors means that mesothelioma patients will have a more convenient treatment option available to them. Subcutaneous treatments can be administered quickly under the skin rather than through time-consuming intravenous infusions. The approval covers all types of solid tumor cancers for which intravenous pembrolizumab has…
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Talc Manufacturer’s Failure to Test Cited in Mesothelioma Argument
After Todd Hathaway died of malignant peritoneal mesothelioma, his widow, Fayda, filed a wrongful death claim against Avon Products, as well as Vi-Jon, LLC, the manufacturer behind multiple baby powder products Mr. Hathaway had used. Though the company filed a petition to have her case against them dismissed, the Supreme Court of Erie County allowed…
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Court Revives Widow’s Lung Cancer Worker’s Compensation Claim
Over a dozen former employees of Continental Tire diagnosed with mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases were given a new opportunity for justice when a North Carolina state appeals court agreed that the widow of a lung cancer victim could pursue a workers’ compensation claim despite the previous decision in a bellweather case. The decision gives…
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New Bipartisan Bill Aims to Prevent Future Mesothelioma Cases
Hoping to prevent future cases of malignant mesothelioma, a bipartisan group of senators and representatives has introduced comprehensive legislation to ban all forms of asbestos in America. The move represents a significant step toward protecting families from a substance that causes more than 40,000 deaths annually.
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Australian Researchers Find Promising Targets for Mesothelioma Immunotherapy
Scientists from a famed research center in Australia have found a better way to harness the immune system to fight mesothelioma. Their analysis of the specific protein fragments that the rare form of cancer’s cells display on their surfaces could pave the way for more effective immunotherapy treatments.
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Mesothelioma Study Gauges Use of Blood Test in Assessing Disease Stage
A recently published study assessing the use of pre- and post-surgical immunotherapy has raised significant hope for the use of the protocol, but a second aspect of the Phase II trial is also deserving of attention. In the face of challenges that the rare form of cancer poses for diagnosis and staging using traditional imaging…
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Australia Reports Steady Mesothelioma Incidence, Improving Survival
According to a report issued by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW), the rate of mesothelioma diagnoses in the country is holding steady, while physicians have made slow improvements in extending lives.
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Oregon Jury Awards $34.2 Million to Former Shipyard Worker with Mesothelioma
In 2023, Richard Long was diagnosed with biphasic pleural mesothelioma after having spent years working at the Dillingham ship repair yard on Swan Island, north of Portland, Oregon. He filed a personal injury lawsuit against more than fifty companies that he accused of negligently exposing him to asbestos. This week, a Portland jury hearing his…
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Study Details New Advances in Treating Resectable Diffuse Pleural Mesothelioma
Mesothelioma, and particularly diffuse pleural mesothelioma (DPM), is a rare and aggressive form of cancer linked to asbestos exposure. Despite global research seeking a cure, treatment options remain limited and ineffective in the long term. A newly released study published in the journal Nature Medicine details the promising results of a phase 2 trial examining the use of…
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Article Assesses Current Challenges and Future Hope for Mesothelioma Treatment
Mesothelioma, the rare and fatal form of cancer caused by exposure to asbestos, presents unique treatment challenges. A newly published analysis notes that most genetic mutations found in mesothelioma involve tumor suppressor genes rather than the driving mutations seen in other cancers, making it difficult to develop targeted therapies. Still, there is hope for success…
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Church Workers’ Mesothelioma Fears Drive Asbestos Lawsuit
Fearing a future marked by mesothelioma or other serious illness, three former employees of a Los Angeles area churchhave filed suit, claiming they were exposed to asbestos while working on a rushed school construction project. Mauricio Calderon, Jose Lara, and Chad Pritchett allege that supervisors at Grace Community Church lied about asbestos test results and then fired them for raising…
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Steelworker’s Family Prevails in Lung Cancer Lawsuit Against John Crane, Inc.
After Ralph Pappagallo died of lung cancer, his family filed a personal injury lawsuit against John Crane, Inc., as well as other companies whose asbestos-containing products he was exposed to during his four decades of work. Though the notorious asbestos manufacturer removed the case to federal court based on the federal officer removal statute, the…
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Mesothelioma Victim’s Family Wins Important Victory
In the years before he was diagnosed with mesothelioma, David Scoggins was regularly exposed to asbestos as he maintained power plants for Pacific Gas & Electric. When a lower court disqualified an expert witness, his family appealed the decision. The Court of Appeals agreed that the disqualification had been based on an inaccurate calculation and restored…
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Family Awarded $12.25 Million in Damages Following Mesothelioma Death
A New York jury has delivered justice to a family devastated by mesothelioma, ordering Vanderbilt Mining to pay $12.25 million in damages to the estate of a woman who died following decades of asbestos exposure from its mining operations.
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Rhode Island Court Allows Part of Widow’s Mesothelioma Claim to Move Forward
Ever since his mesothelioma diagnosis, nearly a decade ago, Elise Angelini has been pursuing justice on behalf of her husband John. This week, a decision from the Rhode Island Superior Court dismissed several of her claims against the company she blames for his occupational exposure to asbestos, but allowed a significant portion of the case…
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Asbestos Study Reveals Risk of Autoimmune Disease as well as Mesothelioma
Decades after the dangers of asbestos and its direct link to mesothelioma were made public, researchers are still learning how much damage the mineral causes. Beyond the rare form of cancer that attacks the mesothelium, scientists have found that asbestos also causes lung cancer, asbestosis, and other forms of cancer. Now, a CDC-funded report published in Open…
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Mesothelioma Case Returned to California State Court
Sondra Scott was diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma after years of exposure to talc-based powders used by her and her husband, Richard. The couple filed a personal injury claim against multiple companies in Los Angeles County Superior Court, but some defendants removed the case to federal court on diversity grounds. The Scotts petitioned to have the…
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St. Croix Lung Cancer Victim’s Widow Files Asbestos Lawsuit Against Refinery’s Labor Broker
Last year, a notice of settlement ended litigation between Hess Corporation and plaintiffs diagnosed with mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases. The agreement provided payment of $187 million to 911 victims with pending claims against the company’s Limetree Bay refinery in the U.S. Virgin Islands. With that settlement precluding any additional victims’ claims, the widow of…
