A class action asbestos lawsuit in Jackson County has reached a massive asbestos verdict with an $80 million settlement.

The lawsuit was filed by two former employees of an asbestos removal company.

The former employees were allegedly exposed to asbestos while renovating the Jackson County courthouse three decades ago.

Of the $80 million agreed upon in the massive asbestos verdict, $25 million will go toward attorney’s fees and litigation costs.

The rest of the settlement will be used to set up a medical monitoring fund for those who have been exposed to asbestos to receive diagnostic tests for around 30 years.

The fund is expected to be the largest from a Missouri asbestos case.

The plaintiffs filed this lawsuit against U.S. Engineering, the company responsible for the removal of asbestos during the Jackson County courthouse renovation decades ago. U.S. Engineering chose to reach a settlement rather than let it go to trial.

The agreement has yet to be finalized, but a judge on the case is expected to finalize it after details of the settlement are ironed out at the end of the year.

Plaintiffs and potential class action members will be notified of this massive asbestos verdict by mail.

Up to 7,500 may be eligible for the medical screenings funded by this settlement money. Potential candidates are those who worked right there at the courthouse, as well as those who spent some time there during the asbestos removal process, including jurors, attorneys, and jail inmates.

Potential class members who believe they were exposed to asbestos during the asbestos removal process between 1983 and 1985 and can prove they were present at the courthouse a significant amount (at least 80 hours) during that time frame may be eligible for annual medical exams, which include chest X-rays and blood screenings.

Other potential class members are those who may have been exposed to asbestos a significant amount after the asbestos removal, 80 hours during a single year between 1986 and 2007.

These potential class members may be eligible to receive a free screening every five years.

At a 2014 hearing about the asbestos removal case, a plaintiff who worked at the courthouse testified about dust and grit from renovating coating everything around the fifth floor as workers sawed through asbestos-insulated heating pipes.

According to witnesses, workers took no safety precautions regarding asbestos removal, and did not wear masks or gloves, or put out warning signs about the danger.

One plaintiff’s friend and co-worker, Nancy Lopez, inhaled asbestos fibers, allegedly from the courthouse renovation project, and died in 2010 from asbestos mesothelioma.

What is Asbestos?

Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral used for commercial purposes such as electrical or building insulation, as well as countless other uses.

Asbestos’ microscopic fibers can accumulate in the lungs and cause several critical health problems, the worst of which is lung cancer. Asbestos lung cancer may take decades to develop, but can quickly spread to distant organs. Unfortunately, the lung cancer survival rate is very low.

Asbestos Exposure Lawsuits

According to many asbestos exposure lawsuits, the companies that allow their workers to be exposed to asbestos should have been aware of the dangerous nature of their asbestos-containing materials.

Companies should also be aware of its ability to cause disease and even fatalities. There are many asbestos regulations in place to prevent these kinds of issues. Asbestos exposure reported to health regulators is taken very seriously.

If you or someone you know has been diagnosed with or died from an asbestos related disease such as asbestos lung cancer, you may be able to file an asbestos exposure lawsuit or seek an asbestos fine.