Mesothelioma Legal Blog

An Ohio appeals court recently revived an asbestos cancer lawsuit brought by the widow of a mesothelioma cancer victim who claimed that he developed a rare and deadly form of lung cancer from years of exposure to asbestos while working with the Bendix brakes. After a Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas granted the defendant, Honeywell International, Inc., summary judgment in 2017, the Eighth Appellate District in Ohio agreed with the plaintiff that the lower court erred in its decision and that there were genuine issues of fact about the case for a jury to decide in a court of law.

An Arizona Appeals Court ruled that parties are not liable for the harm their asbestos products cause to others in secondhand or “take-home” asbestos exposure. The case centered around a decedent whose surviving heirs claim the victim passed away due to secondhand exposure of asbestos brought home by the victim’s father. The mesothelioma victim’s father worked for Arizona-based Reynolds Metals Co. in Maricopa County during the 1950’s and was frequently exposed to asbestos fibers on work clothes, inside automobiles, and general surroundings.

A recent study published in the Annals of Surgical Oncology highlighted a promising treatment that could possibly extend the life expectancy for patients suffering from malignant peritoneal mesothelioma. According to the report, a large portion of patients in a studying undergoing two-stage cytoreduction and intraperitoneal chemotherapy regimen had a significantly longer lifespan thanks to the treatment. The treatment worked by first putting the patient through cytoreductive surgery, a procedure that removes tumors from inside the abdominal wall of mesothelioma patients.

An asbestos cancer lawsuit brought by a 73-year-old former Duke Energy technician recently went to trial in Spartanburg, South Carolina. In this case, the mesothelioma plaintiff alleges that the defendants, several energy equipment manufacturers, utilized asbestos-tainted products that caused the plaintiff’s cancer. The plaintiff alleges that although his employer, Duke Energy, took proactive steps to mitigate the risk of mesothelioma and other serious diseases, the defendants, Fisher Controls International LLC and Crosby Controls International LLC, supplied asbestos-tainted gaskets for pipe valves.

For purposes of this article, the mesothelioma victim in this case will be referred to as R.L. In a recent ruling, a Multnomah County jury ordered John Crane Inc., a company that makes gaskets, to pay $34.2 million to R.L. after determining that the company was responsible for the asbestos exposure that resulted in his biphasic pleural mesothelioma diagnosis. The verdict came after weeks of testimony. From 1972 to 1985, R.L. worked at a ship repair facility on Swan Island, located north of Portland, Oregon. His work duties involved helping machinists and other workers in ship engine rooms.

Ray Albright, a former Tennessee state legislator, recently revealed his mesothelioma diagnosis almost four decades after exposure to asbestos while working as a boilermaker in a Chattanooga factory to support his family. Sadly, doctors informed him that he only has a few months to live. He and his wife had planned to continue their lives together for decades to come as they raised a family, worked hard, and served the citizens of Tennessee. According to reports, the victim took a job at Combustion Engineering back in 1953 where he worked for almost two-decades using a bandsaw to cut steel tops for boilers.