$7 Million Awarded to Mesothelioma Victim
Posted by
Miriam SchimmelMarch 13, 2008 2:22 PMAsbestos manufacturer, Georgia Pacific Corp., was ordered by a San Francisco jury to pay in excess of $7 million to plaintiffs, Joan and Daniel Mahoney. Plaintiffs sued Georgia Pacific claiming that Mrs. Mahoney developed terminal cancer from exposure to asbestos fibers released during her work in a home remodeling business with her husband.
Her husband testified that she was exposed to the asbestos fibers from using Georgia Pacific joint compound to fill cracks in sheetrock while working their part-time remodeling business in the late 1960s. Mrs. Mahoney was diagnosed with mesothelioma, which is a type of lung cancer believed to be caused primarily by exposure to asbestos fibers.
Plaintiffs asserted that Georgia Pacific continued to manufacture the joint compound well after they knew that asbestos could cause cancer and after other companies had found substitutes.
Defendant's lawyers argued that Mrs. Mahoney's frequency of use and amount of exposure, as well as the type of asbestos fibers in the subject joint compound, were not sufficient to have caused her illness or injuries.
Mrs. Mahoney is living in pain from the disease while also caring for her husband who suffered a stroke last year.
The $7million award represents only Georgia Pacific's assigned responsibility - i.e., 30% of the total $20 million award, which is one of the largest verdicts in an asbestos case. The rest of the award will likely go unpaid.
Georgia Pacific intends to appeal.
Kiesel, Boucher & Larson, LLP has a demonstrated history of success representing individuals who developed mesothelioma due to asbestos exposure.