Dennis Britt never worked with asbestos, but when the employee benefits advisor was diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma, he knew how he’d been exposed. He filed suit against Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation, a site he’d visited frequently and said had been heavily contaminated with the toxic material. After his death, his wife Rosa-Maria continued the lawsuit as a wrongful death claim. A Florida jury awarded her more than $9 million in damages.
Mesothelioma Lawsuit Details Bystander Exposure to Asbestos
According to the claim filed by the Britts and continued by the mesothelioma victim’s widow, Mr. Britt had worked as an employee benefits advisor from 1978 to 1997. His role required him to speak directly with employees of his employer’s clients, so he visited various commercial and industrial sites around the country. Among these were Northrop Grumman facilities in New York and California, and he claimed that those sites contained asbestos-insulated pipes that released airborne fibers, which he had inhaled.
Though Northrop Grumman argued against its liability, evidence presented during the mesothelioma trial showed that Mr. Britt had worked close to maintenance activities that disturbed the asbestos and that he’d been onsite at one of the facilities for an estimated 500+ days of exposure. Additionally, though the company argued that lab analysis of Mr. Britt’s lung tissue had shown no asbestos exposure above background levels, the widow showed that an Italian lab test called tissue digestion had revealed significant amounts of asbestos in his lungs and that it had been the same type of asbestos as was used in the Northrop Grumman plants. The tests had been done in Italy because that was where Mr. Britt had originally been diagnosed.
Northrop Grumman’s Appeal of Verdict in Mesothelioma Claim Failed
In response to the jury awarding the widow $8.5 million in compensatory damages and his estate $519,265 in medical and funeral expenses, the defense company filed an appeal, but the South Florida appeals court rejected their arguments against the testimony submitted by an expert witness and decisions that were made by the court.
If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma, the Patient Advocates at Mesothelioma.net are here to help. Contact us today at 1-800-692-8608 to learn more.
