Months after asbestos lung cancer victim Donna Spurling filed her lawsuit against West Virginia’s Fairmont State University, the school has filed a response in its own defense. While the academic institution continues to assert that as an arm of the state, it has sovereign immunity and is immune to personal injury lawsuits where insurance claims
Jacob Lilienthal died of asbestos-related lung cancer after years spent working for the GM&O Railroad (predecessor to the Illinois Central Railroad Company). When his widow filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the company, a jury awarded her $2.6 million in damages, cutting the award by 45% because of his smoking history. The company appealed the
When Michael Kappel died in 2018, his family was uncertain about whether the cause was malignant mesothelioma or asbestos-related lung cancer, but they were certain that it was related to the asbestos that the Weyerhaeuser Company’s factory had released into the air of their Marshfield, Wisconsin, community. When they filed suit, the company attempted to
Two of the deadliest consequences of asbestos exposure are malignant mesothelioma and lung cancer. Early detection provides the best chance for improved outcomes for both diseases and now researchers from the University of Cambridge have developed a test that uses urine to spot the first signs of early lung cancer in lab animals. They are
Mallory Ware worked as a welder for decades, and after being diagnosed with asbestos-related lung cancer, he filed a lawsuit in state court against several defendants. All of the companies named were accused of negligence, but some were accused of premises liability, and others were accused of product liability. Though Marathon Oil Company objected to
In 2020, James Petro filed an asbestos lawsuit against multiple defendants that he blamed for his lung cancer and asbestosis diagnoses. After resolving his claims with several defendants out of court, he was awarded $13.5 million in damages for past pain and suffering and $15 million for future pain and suffering. Though the defendants filed
Donna Spurling’s lung cancer diagnosis came as a shock; she had never smoked cigarettes. In searching for a cause for her illness, she determined that she had been exposed to legacy asbestos on the campus of her college, Fairmont State University in West Virginia, as well as in other buildings where she completed educational rotations.
Climmie Craft’s diagnosis of asbestos-related lung cancer was unsurprising after her husband Jerry died of malignant mesothelioma: she had spent years laundering his asbestos-covered clothing and breathing in the deadly fibers. When she filed suit against the companies she blamed for their exposure, the defendants successfully argued against admission of testimony by an expert witness
Navy veteran Arnold Edmonds is pursuing justice from more than 20 asbestos companies following his diagnosis of non-small cell lung carcinoma. In support of his claim, he has enlisted expert witness Dr. David Zhang, a physician specializing in pathology and occupational medicine. Two of the companies moved to block his testimony entirely, but the judge
Navy veteran John P. Reeves was diagnosed with asbestos-related lung cancer after a lifetime of exposure to asbestos-containing products. He filed a personal injury lawsuit naming several companies whose products contained asbestos as defendants, including DAP, Inc., a manufacturer of caulking products. The company filed a motion to dismiss the case, arguing that not all