In March of 2022, a St. Louis jury awarded Ford Motor Company to pay $20 million in damages to an auto mechanic dying of malignant mesothelioma and his wife. Despite the definitive decision from the jury, Ford appealed the verdict. This week the Missouri Court of Appeals of the Eastern District upheld the verdict, despite the victim having died days after the trial’s end.
Mesothelioma Claims Mechanic’s Life Days After Jury Awards him $20 Million
Bill Trokey was just 76 years old in April of 2022 when malignant mesothelioma claimed his life. He was diagnosed with the rare, asbestos-related form of cancer in 2020, and since that time he’d pursued justice from the companies he accused of having failed to warn of the dangers auto mechanics faced when working with their asbestos-contaminated products.
The case that Mr. Trokey’s attorneys made to the St. Louis jury in 2022 was strong, and it took just three hours for them to award the mesothelioma victim $10 million in damages and another $10 million in damages to his wife Cathy. But when Mr. Trokey died days after the judgment was entered in the case, Ford Motor Company appealed the verdict. Included in the auto giant’s argument was an assertion that the man’s cause of action had been eliminated when he died and that his wife should not have been substituted as the recipient.
Court Denies Ford’s Argument That Mesothelioma Death Eliminated Their Liability
The court noted that the mesothelioma victim’s death so shortly after the judgment was entered was an unusual scenario, but upheld the jury’s verdict subject to post-trial motions. They noted that the jury had reached its decision on the merits of the case and that therefore the damages awarded should stand.
Mr. Trokey’s victory against Ford Motor Company shows that mesothelioma victims can receive justice when they have knowledgeable resources supporting them. For information on how the Patient Advocates at Mesothelioma.net can help, contact us today at 1-800-692-8608.
