An Illinois jury came to a verdict in favor of the defendant in a recent asbestos lung cancer lawsuit.

The jury sided with defendant Sprinkmann Sons Corporation, which had been accused of manufacturing, selling, and distributing asbestos-contained pipes in the asbestos lawsuit, which was filed in Illinois Circuit Court.

Plaintiff Jana Frank sued the company on the behalf of her deceased father, Charles Goodwin, in 2008, alleging  he had developed lung cancer as a direct result of inhaling asbestos fibers. Despite extensive medical treatment, Goodwin died from lung cancer in 2007.

He had worked as a plumber and pipe-fitter in various locations throughout Illinois from 1962 until 2006. His job sites included power plants in Illinois and an Army ammunition plant in Burlington, Iowa. Due to his occupation, the asbestos cancer lawsuit alleges that Goodwin had been exposed to asbestos fibers on the job, which led him to a lung cancer diagnosis in June 2006.

The piping Goodwin worked on was manufactured by Sprinkmann, leading to the accusations made by the plaintiff. His family alleges that he had not been warned about asbestos at any point during his job, and did not learn about the pipes containing asbestos until after he was diagnosed. Goodwin insisted that he never would have worked with the piping if he had known about the asbestos.

Overview of Asbestos Lung Cancer

Medical statistics show that lung cancer is the most common cancer in the United States with approximately 200,000 Americans diagnosed a year. More than 4,800 of these deaths are linked to asbestos exposure. For safety reasons, asbestos use was halted in the 1980s, after an alarming number of health hazards had been discovered from exposure. Due to the long development process of asbestos injuries, between 20 to 50 years, asbestos cancer lawsuits have just started appearing, and are expected to continue for some time.