A Denver-area contractor has been sentenced to ten years in jail after creating a significant mesothelioma risk for his employee and residents of a multi-family apartment building. Lance Slayton was charged with intentionally causing a hazardous substance incident and for knowingly endangering neighbors within the building after he sent an unlicensed employee who was unaware of the dangers into an asbestos-contaminated building to do demolition work. He was also charged with criminal exploitation of an at-risk elder and theft from an at-risk elder.
Contractor’s Illegal Actions Exposed Employee and Residents to Asbestos
According to evidence submitted at trial, Mr. Slayton created a significant risk of mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases after he’d been hired by the 82-year-old owner of a four-plex apartment building. He was tasked with providing demolition work after one of the units caught fire in 2022. When hired, he was informed that a testing report had found a “major spill of asbestos throughout the unit” and committed to performing the appropriate asbestos abatement work.
After communicating with both the owner and her insurance company about what was needed for the work to prevent against the risk of mesothelioma, he removed the asbestos warning signs posted on the property and hired a 27-year-old laborer who was not licensed by the state to perform asbestos removal work. He never informed the worker about the risk that he faced and did not provide him with any of the requisite personal protective equipment that would have shielded him from inhaling the deadly fibers.
Insurance Company Engineer Reported Asbestos Violation and Mesothelioma Risk
Mr. Slayton’s employee and neighbors within the complex were exposed to significant asbestos and the risk of mesothelioma for four months before an engineer with the owner’s insurance company saw him working there and notified authorities. The work was stopped by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and Mr. Slayton was arrested.
For the mesothelioma risk he created and the fraud he perpetrated on the elderly owner, Mr. Slayton was convicted of multiple crimes and sentenced to a 10-year term and two four-year terms to be served concurrently. He will also be required to pay restitution to his victims.
If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma, you need help and resources. The Patient Advocates at Mesothelioma.net are available at 1-800-692-8608 to answer all your questions.
