A trial has ended with a jury verdict in favor of a widow who says she lost her husband because of asbestos lung mesothelioma. The lawsuit was filed based on the woman’s belief that the husband’s diagnosis could have been avoided with proper awareness and precautions by his employer.

The jury that heard the lawsuit determined that the fatal mesothelioma was caused by asbestos located in valves that were near the employee’s work space.

The deceased individual previously worked at a power plant. The widow in that case is to receive $5.1 million in damages, with $1 million of those associated with loss of consortium and $2 million in compensatory damages.

Although two other companies were cleared of liability in that case, Fisher Controls International LLC was held responsible for asbestos located in valves that they manufactured. The jury also determined that the conduct on the part of Fisher was reckless, wanton, or willful, and awarded the estate of the deceased employee $2.1 million in punitive damages.

According to the asbestos lung mesothelioma case, the employee worked at numerous different Duke Energy Power Plants between 1970 and 1997.

During his 27 years there, he was primarily employed as an instrumentation technician and pipe fitter. His wife says that it was during this time that he came into contact with asbestos fibers as a regular part of his job. The company who made the valves with asbestos inside was accused of failing to warn employees about these dangers or that they should take precautionary steps to minimize the impact.

The decedent worked at three different nuclear power plants doing work inspecting and removing valves and pumps from pipelines. His widow alleged that he routinely worked around other individuals who were placing valve parts that were made by Fisher.

The employee in question passed away from mesothelioma in February 2015, just a few months after his diagnosis in 2014. Mesothelioma has a long latency period, meaning that it can develop many decades after the patient’s original exposure to asbestos.

According to the American Cancer Society, pleural mesothelioma can be signified by symptoms such as a cough, swelling of the arms and face, shortness of breath, pain in the side of the chest or lower back, and trouble swallowing.

According to the Mayo Clinic, mesothelioma is known as an aggressive cancer that impacts the lining of the heart, abdomen or lungs and is directly caused by the inhalation of asbestos fibers.

When mesothelioma is diagnosed, the doctors shift their focus to managing the symptoms and pain as much as possible. Mesothelioma is a difficult disease to cope with and there is currently no cure for this condition.

Most of the patients who receive a mesothelioma diagnosis struggle to figure out their next steps and many pass away within several months or a few years. This leaves behind, in many cases, children and surviving spouses who deal with the consequences of a loss that may have been prevented.

This Asbestos Lawsuit is Case No. 2015-cp-04-01607, in the Court of Common Pleas for Anderson County, South Carolina.