On Jan. 15, a New Jersey jury awarded a $7.5 million mesothelioma settlement in a case filed against several asbestos manufacturers. This mesothelioma lawsuit is the first asbestos case to be tried before U.S. District Judge Ana C. Viscomi, New Jersey’s newly appointed asbestos litigation judge.

Plaintiff William C., a 67 year-old mesothelioma sufferer, filed the asbestos mesothelioma lawsuit, alleging he developed this cancerous condition as a direct result of asbestos-exposure while on the job. Over an 11 year period from 1973 to 1984, William worked with heating and air condition systems and boilers, systems which allegedly contained asbestos or were made using asbestos-containing parts.

The asbestos lawsuit named Wallwork, CertainTeed, and Pecora as defendants; all three named defendants are suppliers of building products, which allegedly contain asbestos fibers. Wallwork, CertainTeed, and Pecora all defended themselves during the month-long asbestos mesothelioma litigation, after which Wallwork and CertainTeed obtained defense verdicts. Meanwhile, Pecora was found to be 2 percent liable for William’s asbestos mesothelioma condition and ordered to pay up to $780,000.

The remaining 98 percent liability was assigned by the New Jersey jury to another defending manufacturer, who decided to resolve claims before the case went to jury. At the end, the liability award for William C.’s asbestos mesothelioma condition totaled to $6.5 million, $130,000 of which Pecora will be responsible to pay. Another $1 million in additional punitive damages was also awarded against Pecora during the asbestos mesothelioma lawsuit’s punitive damages phase of trial.

In breaking down the subparts of the asbestos mesothelioma lawsuit damages verdict, $5 million of the total amount was awarded to William C. for pain and suffering ($500,000 for the plaintiffs past injuries and 4.5 million for future pain and suffering). $1.5 million was awarded to William’s wife for loss of services.

In order to support the punitive damages charges, the plaintiff and his counsel demonstrated that Pecora did not even try to eliminate asbestos from the products the company manufactured and furthermore failed to provide William C. with adequate warning of asbestos-exposure. The asbestos mesothelioma lawsuit further alleges that Pecora knew of the hazards and health side effects of asbestos before the plaintiff worked with the company’s asbestos-containing furnace cement, and yet did nothing to alert William to his potential asbestos exposure.

What is Asbestos Mesothelioma Lung Cancer?

Asbestos mesothelioma, a rare and deadly form of lung cancer, is a type of cancer that develops in one’s lung lining as a result of prolonged exposure to asbestos fibers, usually found on asbestos-containing materials. When a person inhales asbestos fibers, the carcinogenic particles then get trapped in a person’s lung lining, which can later cause inflammation, scarring, tumors, and eventually leads to the development of asbestos mesothelioma lung cancer.

According to medical reports, asbestos mesothelioma lung cancer is responsible for about 4,800 deaths every year within the United States.

Thousands of workers may have been unknowingly exposed to asbestos-containing materials or asbestos fibers while on the job. Because asbestos mesothelioma has a long latency period, many of these workers will not show asbestos mesothelioma lung cancer symptoms until 15-35 years after the initial asbestos exposure.

As a result of the personal injury allegedly sustained by asbestos mesothelioma victims, many individuals and family of deceased individuals have pursued asbestos mesothelioma lawsuits or joined existing asbestos mesothelioma class action lawsuits, seeking damages from asbestos manufacturers.