Three former executives of Firm Build — a now defunct nonprofit group — were ordered by a federal judge to pay $1.8 million to numerous would-be mesothelioma victims who were unknowingly exposed to asbestos while working for nonprofit. According to the asbestos mesothelioma lawsuit, Firm Build had been contracted by the Merced County Office of Education to provide high school students with job training.

Patrick Bowman, Rudy Buendia III and Joseph Cuellar  were ordered by U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. O’Neill to create an asbestos mesothelioma fund, which will exclusively pay for the medical monitoring of 65 former Firm Build employees who sustained asbestos exposure and may have developed asbestos mesothelioma at Castle Commerce Center’s Automotive Training Center.

The asbestos mesothelioma lawsuit alleges the three former executives cut corners on a renovation project by using high school students to remove asbestos from the building from September 2005 to March 2006, allegedly stating that Firm Build was providing these students with work experience and job training.

The Merced County District Attorney’s Office found out about the asbestos exposure allegations and launched an investigation in November 2009.

The three Firm Build defendants eventually pleaded guilty to asbestos mesothelioma charges, including one count of violating a National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants statute. While the majority of the asbestos mesothelioma victims were teenagers, according to the lawsuit, some adult employees who also worked at the site also experienced asbestos exposure.

According to the plaintiffs’ attorney, the asbestos mesothelioma fund will have one goal: to provide medical monitoring of these victims for asbestos-related diseases for the rest of their lives.

According to the plaintiffs’ attorney: “This award recognizes the gravity of the harm to these individuals with respect to their health. It’s a just reward because each one of those kids are going to have to (receive) medical monitoring and will worry about their health for the rest of their lives.”

In addition to this case, many of the students have decided to individually sue Buendia, Bowman and Cuellar in separate asbestos mesothelioma lawsuits, seeking compensation for damages, injuries, and emotional suffering.

The three Firm Build executives were each sentenced to a minimum of 24 and a maximum of 27 months in federal prison.

What is Asbestos Mesothelioma Lung Cancer?

Asbestos mesothelioma is a rare cancer that develops almost exclusively from prolonged exposure to asbestos fibers or asbestos-containing materials. When a person inhales asbestos fibers, the cancer-causing particles become trapped in the lung lining, causing inflammation, scarring, and tumors.

This also eventually leads to the development of mesothelioma asbestos lung cancer. According to recent reports, asbestos mesothelioma lung cancer is responsible for about 4,800 deaths every year within the United States.

Many individuals have been unknowingly exposed to asbestos materials on the job and were not advised by the their employers of the asbestos mesothelioma risks associated with asbestos exposure. However, because asbestos mesothelioma has a long latency period, most mesothelioma victims will not show asbestos mesothelioma lung cancer symptoms until 15-35 years after the first asbestos exposure.

Many individuals and family of deceased individuals have decided to pursue asbestos mesothelioma lawsuits or joined existing asbestos mesothelioma class action lawsuits in order to seek damages from asbestos manufacturers and employers who knowingly exposed their workers to asbestos-containing materials.