(Updated July 24, 2023)

Asbestos, a highly carcinogenic mineral, was commonly used by corporations until it was regulated in the 1970s. Though its use has sharply declined since then, it is still legal in the US., and its effects are still felt by the thousands who are diagnosed with asbestos-related diseases every year. Mesothelioma is a fatal form of cancer caused by exposure to asbestos. In 2022, an estimated 12,431 people died of mesothelioma in the U.S. alone. 
While the deadly effects of using asbestos have been widely known for years, corporations continue to use the cancer-causing mineral. 

Today, mesothelioma sufferers and their loved ones are fighting back in court and receiving the compensation they deserve for the suffering they’ve been made to endure. It’s predicted that asbestos litigation will soon reach $200 to $265 billion in total compensation. If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with mesothelioma, we may be able to help you. For more information regarding your case, contact us today.

JOEL HERNANDEZCUEVA, ET AL.,VS. AMERICAN STANDARD INC.,ET AL.  (2023) - $107 MILLION

On July 7th and 11th, a California jury handed down major verdicts with awards totaling more than $100 million in a case involving the death of a maintenance employee from mesothelioma caused by his alleged exposure to asbestos. Joel Hernandezcueva died from pleural mesothelioma on April 5, 2014, at 46 years old, he worked as a janitor and maintenance person at the Fluor facility known as Park Place, a mixed-use development located in Irvine, California, from approximately 1992 through 1995. 

The settlement comprised $32 million in compensatory damages and $75 million in punitive damages. The jury divided liability as 46.4 percent to Union Carbide, 10 percent to E.F. Brady Co. Inc., 5 percent to Elementis Chemicals, and several small portions to other companies.

BUDD V. KAISER GYPSUM CO., (2020)  — $13.4 MILLION

In 2020, Raymond Budd, a drywall worker who developed mesothelioma, received a $13.4 million verdict and $75,000 in settlements from an asbestos lawsuit filed in Washington state. Budd said he developed cancer from working with multiple asbestos products, including Kaiser Gypsum’s asbestos-containing joint compound.

LEAVITT V. JOHNSON & JOHNSON (2019)  — $29 MILLION

In 2019, a California jury awarded $29.4 million to Terry Leavitt and her husband in damages after claims that the J&J talc-based products caused her to develop mesothelioma. Leavitt claimed she regularly used two J&J products in the 1960s and '70s containing talc, then in 2017, she was diagnosed with mesothelioma. After two days of deliberation, the jury found that J&J talc-based products were defective and caused Leavitt's mesothelioma. 

The jury also found that the company had failed to warn consumers about the risks, awarding Leavitt and her husband $29.4 million in damages.

A.O. SMITH CORP., BURNHAM COMMERCIAL (2018) — $60 MILLION

In April 2018, a Manhattan jury awarded $60 million to the children and girlfriend of Pietro Macaluso, a construction worker who demolished buildings in Brooklyn in the 1970s and '80s. Before his death from mesothelioma in 2016, Mr. Macaluso filed a lawsuit against the companies that erected the buildings: A.O. Smith Corp., Burnham Commercial, and Peerless.

Mr. Macaluso's girlfriend, Mary Murphy-Clagett, will split the award with the plaintiff's 11-year-old twins. Ms. Murphy-Clagett told The New York Post, "Pietro was a great man, and nobody should have to go through what he went through... I'm glad justice was served."

VANDERBILT MINERALS, IMERYS TALC (2017) — $22.17 MILLION

A jury in California found Vanderbilt Minerals and Imerys Talc responsible for Richard Booker's mesothelioma. The manufacturers supplied Mr. Booker's employer, Dexter-Midland Chemical Co., with talc, which he used in his occupation as a paintmaker. The talc contained asbestos which later caused him to develop mesothelioma.

Sadly, Mr. Booker passed away from mesothelioma at the age of 72. The jury awarded his family $17.57 million in compensatory damages and hit Vanderbilt and Imerys with $4.6 million in punitive damages. Altogether, the verdict totaled $22.17 million.

NEW ENGLAND INSULATION (2017) — $7.55 MILLION & $6.8 MILLION

On September 20, 2017, a Boston jury awarded $7.55 million to Gerald Sylvestre, a man who worked in a New England Insulation plant that installed asbestos until the early 1970s. Mr. Sylvestre was diagnosed with mesothelioma in 2015.

"No one should have to go through this illness, and I particularly hate the suffering it has caused my family, especially because it could have been prevented,” Mr. Sylvestre said. “My wife and I were very happy with the verdict, but what meant the most was that we got to tell our story, and the jury heard it and responded as they did." 

Less than two weeks later, a Boston jury hit New England Insulation with a $6.8 million verdict. This award went to the family of an insulator named Timothy Ross, who passed away from mesothelioma in August 2013.

HILLSHIRE BRANDS (2017) — $13 MILLION

In September 2017, a California jury awarded $13 million to the family of Mark Lopez, who passed away from mesothelioma in July 2015. Mr. Lopez grew up near the Union City Sugar Refinery (owned by Hillshire Bands), and both his father and grandfather worked at the factory. Companies can be held liable for take-home mesothelioma.

Hillshire employees allegedly worked with asbestos on a regular basis, and without taking safety precautions. The jury found that Hillshire Brands was completely at fault for wrongful death. In 2018, Hillshire Brands appealed the case, later to be rejected by the courts.

NAPA, GENUINE PARTS CO. (2017) — $82 MILLION
Jerry "Doy" Coogan regularly used Napa and Genuine auto parts for his car restoration hobby. Sadly, the brakes and gaskets he used contained asbestos, eventually resulting in his mesothelioma diagnosis and untimely death in 2015.

Mr. Coogan was survived by his wife, Gerri, who filed a lawsuit against the sister companies. In April 2017, a Washington jury found Napa and Genuine auto parts responsible for Mr. Coogan's mesothelioma and issued an $82 million verdict.

AMERICAN OPTICAL CORPORATION (2016) — $32 MILLION

American Optical Corporation (AOC) didn’t use asbestos in any of its products, but it failed to protect workers from exposure. AOC concealed the fact that their respirators did not protect from asbestos exposure, lulling many workers into a false sense of security while handling the dangerous mineral.

Former machinist Louis William Tyler was an unfortunate victim of the company’s negligence. Mr. Tyler was diagnosed with mesothelioma after years of handling asbestos with inadequate protection. The California jury hit AOC with a $32 million verdict.

GARLOCK SEALING TECHNOLOGIES (2016) — $480 MILLION

EnPro Industries, the owner of Garlock Sealing Technologies, proposed a bankruptcy trust fund in 2016 that would compensate Garlock’s current and future asbestos claimants. The pipeline sealer formerly used asbestos in their gaskets.

Approved in 2017, the $480 million mesothelioma fund to handle current and future asbestos claims included $400 million paid into the trust immediately, with $20 million worth of stock and $60 million more to be paid within a year of the establishment of the trust.

SPECIALTY PRODUCTS (2014) — $800 MILLION

Faced with 15,000 asbestos-related lawsuits, Specialty Products filed for bankruptcy in May 2010. The company’s plaster, cement, and roof coatings contained asbestos, causing thousands of mesothelioma diagnoses.

In 2014, their parent company RPM International established a mesothelioma compensation fund worth $800 million.

PNEUMO ABEX (2014) — $37 MILLION

In 2013, Gary Hampton was diagnosed with mesothelioma. As a mechanic in the 1970s, Mr. Hampton was exposed to asbestos dust from brake linings made by Pneumo Abex.

A Tampa jury declared the company was negligent for failing to warn about the dangers of asbestos and manufacturing a dangerous product. Mr. Hampton received $37 million in damages. He previously received a confidential settlement from Ford for their asbestos-tainted brake linings.

DURCO INTERNATIONAL, CRANE CO., ET AL. (2013)—$38 MILLION

Lloyd Strom Garvin was diagnosed with a rare form of testicular cancer caused by mesothelioma. He was exposed to asbestos-tainted gaskets, valves, and pumps while working in a factory and on a farm.

Durco International, Crane Co., and Byron Jackson Pump Co. were found liable for manufacturing the dangerous products Mr. Garvin used and were collectively hit with a $38 million verdict.  

BURNHAM, CLEAVER-BROOKS (2013) — $30 MILLION

Burnham and Cleaver-Brooks exposed American workers to asbestos-tainted boilers. Five tradesmen who worked in steamfitting, plumbing, and construction industries filed a lawsuit against the companies after being diagnosed with mesothelioma.

Both companies were found guilty of negligently and recklessly exposing workers to asbestos and were hit with a combined $30 million verdict. 

U.S. STEEL (2003) — $250 MILLION

After working at U.S. Steel’s Gary, Indiana plant for 30 years, Roby Whittington developed mesothelioma. The company used asbestos in its insulation. The jury hit U.S. Steel with a $250 million verdict—$50 million in compensation and $200 million in punitive damages. At the time, it was the largest single award in asbestos litigation.

HALLIBURTON (2002) — $4 BILLION

In 2002, Halliburton paid $4 billion in cash and stock to settle 300,000 asbestos claimants and future claimants. The Dallas-based oil company inherited the majority of the lawsuits when they acquired Dresser Industries four years earlier.

UNION CARBIDE, UNITED STATES GYPSUM, ET. AL. (2000) — $160 MILLION

In 2000, 18 leading asbestos manufacturers, including Union Carbide and United States Gypsum (USG), agreed to settle 4,000 asbestos-related personal injury claims filed in Mississippi court. Altogether, the asbestos manufacturers paid $160 million to claimants. Shortly after, USG declared bankruptcy. In total, they paid more than $450 million in asbestos litigation.

THE MANVILLE CORPORATION (1988) — $4.3 BILLION

The Manville Corporation was one of the leading asbestos manufacturers of its time. When they declared bankruptcy in 1982, they were the largest and richest company to ever do so. In 1988, they established the first asbestos compensation trust fund. As of 2013, the fund had paid $4.3 billion to claimants.

WE WILL FIGHT FOR YOU

Mesothelioma is a fatal form of cancer that has devastated countless families across America. If you or a loved one were diagnosed with mesothelioma, you may be entitled to financial compensation. Contact us today to learn more about mesothelioma and how we may be able to help you. Sign up for a free, no-obligation case review, and our legal team will help answer any questions you may have about filing a lawsuit today. Our attorneys are here for you 24 hours, 7 days a week.