Asbestos Exposure Results in Big Award

It is never a good idea to knowingly hide the dangers presented by a product. This point was driven home by a recent case involving a former pipefitter.

The Illinois pipefitter worked with products containing asbestos in the 1970's, and later contracted mesothelioma (a type of lung cancer). It is now widely known that exposure to asbestos is hazardous and can cause mesothelioma, as well as other kinds of cancer, but for a long time this information was not known to the public.

The pipefitter sued four companies that made asbestos and the gaskets with which he worked. He accused them of knowing of the dangers of asbestos long before it became common knowledge, and engaging in a conspiracy to hide from consumers the danger asbestos presented in order to protect their business.

The case went to a jury, who returned a verdict of $9.6 million dollars in compensatory damages to the pipefitter for his injuries, and a total of $80 million dollars in punitive damages intended to punish the defendants. Unfortunately, the pipefitter died before he could enjoy the fruits of the jury's verdict.

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