Mesothelioma Report: Florida Man Awarded $14 Million in Asbestos Lawsuit

2010-06-05 03:41:56 (GMT) (WiredPRNews.com - Law, Mesothelioma Asbestos, Press Releases)

06/03/2010 // Chicago, IL, USA // Cooney & Conway // Mesothelioma attorneys: Cooney & Conway

Four decades after inhaling the asbestos fibers that would ultimately cause his deadly cancer, a Florida man was awarded more than $14 million by a Miami-Dade jury. The defendant in the asbestos lawsuit, chemical giant Union Carbide, was found negligent for selling asbestos fibers to other companies, which then used the asbestos to make compounds used by construction companies.

The family of the plaintiff, William Aubin, owned one of those construction companies: Aubin Construction. Aubin and other employees—unaware of the hazards—regularly used the asbestos-laden products, which were never labeled as containing the material, according to Aubin’s mesothelioma lawyer, Juan Bauta.

The hazards were significant. Asbestos has long been scientifically linked to diseases like lung cancer and mesothelioma, a nearly always fatal cancer of the protective lining that covers many of the body’s internal organs. Mesothelioma often takes decades after asbestos exposure to develop, but the prognosis is almost always grim.

Aubin was diagnosed with peritoneal mesothelioma, which attacks the lining of the abdominal cavity and related organs. Bauta said: He “is permanently impaired and will ultimately and unfortunately die from mesothelioma.”

In its verdict, the jury also found four of the compound manufacturers, which include Georgia-Pacific, responsible for Aubin’s asbestos exposure and the resulting disease.

This is not the first time a Miami-Dade jury has ordered a multimillion-dollar award in an asbestos case. In April 2008, another panel awarded more than $24 million to a Florida doctor who also contracted mesothelioma. The 2008 case was, and remains, the highest compensatory-damages award involving a single defendant in a Florida asbestos lawsuit.

Bauta said he expects Union Carbide to appeal the current verdict.

This news story was brought to you by the mesothelioma lawyers at Cooney & Conway. For over half a century we have fought for, and vindicated, those injured by the negligence of others—and have litigated some of the most significant asbestos lawsuits in the country.

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