› $150,000,000 verdict in personal injury case
New York-Presbyterian Hospital’s Mesothelioma Center within its Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center and Columbia University Medical Center announced last week a new clinical trial is available for patients with pleural mesothelioma. The study will involve targeted radiation and chemotherapy as an alternative to lung removal (extrapleural pneumonectomy).
Monday the U.S. Supreme Court rejected the appeals of W.R. Grace & Co. and six of its top executives, who are charged with violating the Clean Air Act by releasing asbestos-contaminated vermiculite from a mine in Libby, Montana, according to a story today in the Missoulian. The decision comes two years after the initial criminal filing against the company, which has been delayed pending the filing of numerous legal motions.
A New Jersey jury awarded a Linden woman $7.5 million verdict against ExxonMobile Corp., saying she contracted peritoneal mesothelioma as a result of handling her husband’s clothing. John Anderson was employed at a refinery that was owned by ExxonMobile at the time, and his wife Bonnie had secondary exposure to his “take home” asbestos fibers for years, according to a report in NJBIZ magazine.
ExxonMobile was found responsible for the mesothelioma cancer last year. The trial to determine damages began approximately two weeks ago, resulting in the $7.5 million verdict in favor of Mrs. Anderson. According to the report, ExxonMobile plans to appeal the verdict.
The Buffalo News reported today that OSHA (U.S. Occupational Health & Safety Administration) levied $110,000 in fines against Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center for alleged improper handling and disposal of asbestos. Part of the hospital was closed for renovation in December 2007, when OSHA says no safeguards were taken when disposing of asbestos, according to the published report.
The News says OSHA submitted 17 citations against the hospital, all related to asbestos, and one a repeat citation related to the facility’s failing to notify employees of the presence of asbestos and its potential health risk. The hospital was previously cited for this in April 2006. The newspaper reports OSHA investigated the hospital after an employee complained of working with asbestos without adequate protection.
Asbestos is the only known cause of mesothelioma, a terminal cancer that affects the lining of the lungs and, more rarely, the abdomen, as a result of inhaling asbestos fibers.
The hospital will meet with OSHA officials this week to discuss the citations and will have the opportunity to contest the fines at that time.
People with mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases worldwide may benefit in the future from the work of a new Australia-based research organization. According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) the Asbestos Research Group, based in Brisbane at Wesley Research Institute, will examine the progression of diseases like mesothelioma, and the impact of reduced lung capacity.
The Louisiana First Circuit Court of Appeal upheld a verdict of $3.2 million for former contractor Ray Rando, who contracted mesothelioma as a result of asbestos exposure. The defendants are Parsons Infrastructure and Technology Group, and Jacobs Constructors. Rando worked for the companies between 1965 and 1985 as a pipe fitter and welder. He was diagnosed with mesothelioma in 2006.
Beasley Allen and our team of mesothelioma lawyers understand that mesothelioma is a devastating cancer that harms many families each year. We understand that your mesothelioma lawyer must do more than just handle the claim on your behalf. We want to help your family make it through a very difficult time and we want to make certain the manufacturers of these unsafe asbestos products compensate you.
Chicago’s Oak Street Beach, on the shores of Lake Michigan, has been dubbed “Asbestos Beach” by environmental protection groups, due to its widespread contamination with asbestos. While some conservation groups have issued precautions to “minimize inhalation of cancer-causing asbestos fibers,” other groups are calling for the complete closure of the beach.
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