St. Louis Jury Hands Down $8.4 Million Verdict in Asbestos Cancer Lawsuit Trial

A St. Louis state jury recently handed down a substantial $8.4 million plaintiff’s verdict on behalf of a former auto mechanic who claimed his mesothelioma cancer diagnosis was due to negligence on the part of Ford Motor Company. The jury’s award included $5,725,000 in actual damages and $2 million in punitive damages, as well as an additional $708,000 in actual damages for the victim’s wife, finding she “did sustain damage as a direct result of injury to her husband.”

According to the asbestos cancer lawsuit, filed in St. Louis City Circuit Court, the plaintiff was allegedly exposed to asbestos fibers by working with brakes, gaskets, clutches, and OEM replacement parts developed and sold by Ford Motor Company. As a result of years of exposure to asbestos, the plaintiff developed mesothelioma, a rare and deadly form of cancer which usually affects the lungs but can spread to other areas of the body such as the heart and abdomen.

The plaintiff’s mesothelioma cancer lawsuit claims that despite Ford’s knowledge about the risks the asbestos in its auto parts could pose to innocent people, the automaker chose not to provide any warning about the dangers. The plaintiff worked as a mechanic at Ford, Mercury, and Lincoln automobile dealerships from the 1960s until the 1980s, much of that during a period before the federal government had addressed the dangers of asbestos.

Despite the federal government failing to address asbestos from a legislative standpoint until the mid 1970s, many companies already knew for decades about the risks asbestos could create to consumers and workers coming in contact with the product. As a result, hundreds of thousands of people have been exposed to deadly asbestos fibers, with many developing mesothelioma as a result.

Mesothelioma has a lengthy latency period of anywhere from 20 to 50 years, which often leaves patients with diminished treatment options by the time a mesothelioma diagnosis is made. While worldwide research continues to make progress in understanding the disease, there is still currently no cure for mesothelioma.

Although we as a society would expect wrongdoers to accept responsibility for their negligence and compensate victims accordingly, many asbestos companies and other defendants would rather deny, delay, and defend meritorious claims than help to make victims whole again. In these cases, the law gives plaintiffs the right to hire an experienced and dedicated asbestos cancer attorney to file mesothelioma lawsuits in state and federal courts to help hold wrongdoers accountable and obtain the compensation necessary for vital medical treatment.

Nationwide Mesothelioma Lawyer If you or a loved one were diagnosed with mesothelioma, contact our office to speak to one of our experienced mesothelioma attorneys about your situation. Our office can help investigate your case and determine if compensation can be sought from negligent parties to help pay for your medical treatment to help you and your family live a more comfortable life.