Virginia Jury Grants $3.45 Million to the Family of a Deceased Mesothelioma Victim

For purposes of this article, the mesothelioma victim in this case will be referred to as J.K.

In a recent court case, a Virginia jury awarded $3.45 million to the family of a deceased mesothelioma victim in a case against John Crane, Inc., a company known for manufacturing asbestos-contaminated products. The victim in this case, who will be referred to as J.K., died of malignant mesothelioma, a rare and aggressive form of cancer that is primarily caused by asbestos exposure in 2022. After his death, J.K.’s family filed a lawsuit against John Crane, Inc., alleging that J.K.’s occupational asbestos exposure occurred while he was working with asbestos-containing products made by the company. Recently, a jury hearing the case ruled in favor of J.K.’s family and held John Crane, Inc. responsible for its failure to adequately warn about the dangers of its products.

During the trial, jury members listened to details about J.K.’s career as a millwright. For around 18 years (between 1961 and 1979), J.K. was a millwright at a plant in Chesterfield County. While there, his responsibilities included repairing and maintaining equipment such as valves and pumps. Unfortunately, when carrying out his tasks, he unknowingly inhaled microscopic asbestos fibers, putting himself at risk of developing mesothelioma. The jury heard evidence that over time, the wear and tear of the parts that J.K. repaired and maintained caused asbestos fibers to break free, contaminating the air in the workplace.

The jury was presented with several types of evidence, including a deposition that J.K. had provided before he passed away. In his deposition, J.K. recounted how he would use a ball peen hammer to make asbestos gaskets and remove the gaskets using different tools. According to the family’s legal representative, Mr. J.K.’s work environment was filled with asbestos particles, exposing him to the toxic substance every day. Ultimately, this exposure resulted in his illness and then his death. According to the attorney, the defendant had a duty to warn J.K. and other workers about the danger of inhaling asbestos fibers. John Crane, Inc. did not provide this warning.

During the trial, evidence was presented that showed that by the time J.K. was working at the plant, the scientific community knew about the dangers of asbestos, and the defendant had been warned in 1972 that even minimal asbestos exposure could lead to mesothelioma. Despite having this information, John Crane, Inc. only provided warnings to customers more than a decade later. By this time, countless workers, including J.K., had already been exposed to dangerous levels of asbestos.

After hearing all the evidence about J.K.’s family loss and the suffering the illness caused Mr. J.K. before he passed away, the jury agreed that John Crane, Inc. had breached its duty of care.

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