In an asbestos exposure lawsuit, a former courthouse secretary at the Miami-Dade courthouse claims that the old building gave her lung cancer, and that the county did nothing to prevent employees from being exposed to toxins during their daily work.

Former courthouse secretary Yvonne S. claims that working in the Miami-Dade courthouse every day caused her to develop stage II lung cancer. She states that has a result of her daily exposure, she had to have a lung removed, and continues to undergo chemotherapy.

She claims that she never smoked or had respiratory problems before starting employment at the courthouse in 1994. Yvonne is the third courthouse employee to file an asbestos exposure lawsuit over conditions in the courthouse.

Asbestos is a building material common in buildings constructed up though the middle of the 20th century. It was popular because it was readily available and is heat resistant, making it useful in insulation.

However, in the early 20th century, studies showed that exposure to asbestos caused people to develop cancer, and by the mid twentieth century, evidence suggested that exposure to the material could cause a range of cancers.

Now, asbestos is outlawed in new building materials. The fibers are only dangerous if loosened and inhaled, however, so regulations allow older buildings to remain in tact that contain asbestos, if the asbestos is sealed in tiles and other materials. However, as buildings age and deteriorate, asbestos can be released into the air and inhaled by occupants, causing health risks to people in and around the building. Such is allegedly the case in the Miami-Dade courthouse.

The Miami-Dade courthouse building was built in 1928, and county commissioners reported that the building is hazardous. In 2013, tests confirmed the presence of asbestos in the building, and the county inspector general reported in 2016 that the building had not been inspected since 1988. However, voters in the county have voted against rebuilding the courthouse, so the building is still in use, despite its apparently dangerous condition.

Allegedly, employees who worked in the courthouse had long complained about the conditions of the building, and the possible health hazards of working there. In a 2014 county commission’s public safety meeting, reports claimed that the 576 courthouse employees were exposed not only to asbestos, but to leaks, termites, and mold on a daily basis. Further supporting their claim that the building was dangerous to employees, the report cited the fact that at one point two floors had to be evacuated temporarily due to intolerably poor air quality.

Federal law requires employers to provide a reasonably safe environment for employees, and toxins like asbestos are listed under the types of hazards deemed unacceptable in most work environments. Many employees like Yvonne have filed asbestos exposure lawsuits against their employers, claiming their employers violated the law by requiring them to work in unsafe, asbestos-filled environments that were detrimental to their health.