Mesothelioma Lawsuit Settlements 2014

Mesothelioma Lawsuit Settlements 2014

Mesothelioma and asbestos settlements were created after a myriad of people were continuously exposed to asbestos without any warning of the life-threatening dangers that come along with inhaling and/or ingesting asbestos fibers. In many cases, the evidence is clear-cut and rather than fight through a trial, companies responsible for the manufacturing and distributing of asbestos and/or asbestos-containing products (ACMs) decide to settle with plaintiffs.
Right now, there is more than $30 billion in trust funds available to those who suffer after being negligently exposed to asbestos. If you’re a victim of an asbestos-related disease, contact us today and let us help you get the compensation you’re entitled to.
Asbestos, Mass Torts and the Largest Mesothelioma Settlements
For nearly 50 years, the asbestos industry maintained a stranglehold on asbestos-related lawsuits and information about the dangers of asbestos exposure. By the mid-1950s, asbestos was not only a lucrative product for the American civilian economy, but also was an important commodity for national defense. According to researcher Michelle White of the University of California - San Diego, U.S. consumption of asbestos grew from 100,000 metric tons in 1932 to 700,000 metric tons in 1951. Asbestos consumption peaked in 1974 with 750,000 metric tons. Asbestos use decreased only after the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) 1970 report that mesothelioma and lung cancer were directly caused by asbestos exposure. Several states finally began to regulate and limit the use of asbestos products.  The same states also started creating asbestos abatement programs and changing workers’ compensation laws.  Yet, the EPA report still didn’t stop many companies, especially those who were making a large profit off of asbestos.
Asbestos litigation has become one of the biggest issues for the legal community and society as a whole. According to White’s 2004 study of asbestos and mass torts, by the close of  2002 “730,000 individuals had filed lawsuits against more than 8,400 defendants, and the total amount that defendants and insurers spent on resolving claims was more than $70 billion.”
Some of the largest settlements in U.S. courts involve asbestos-related cases. Here are some of the most notable awards:
In 2006, former plastic molder David Bakkie was awarded $18.5 million by a California jury in his lawsuit against Union Carbide. The 49-year-old Sacramento resident developed mesothelioma as a result of on-the-job asbestos exposure. He died of asbestos cancer on July 17, 2007.
In June of 2012, a jury in Los Angeles awarded $48 million to the family of Bobbie Izell, a former contractor who developed mesothelioma as a result of inhaling asbestos fibers while at work in the 1960s and 1970s. Although Izell wasn’t exposed regularly to asbestos on the job site, it was his frequent home inspections that ultimately led to his illness.
Nancy Lopez, a former Jackson County, Missouri court employee, was awarded $10 million after being exposed to asbestos during the renovations of a courthouse that occurred while she was working. Lopez died from mesothelioma in 2010, but her mother received the settlement.
A federal judge ordered the Travelers insurance corporation to pay $500 million to several victims who were exposed to asbestos while working for Johns Manville. Although the case went on for six years before a settlement was reached, it’s the largest settlement amount in asbestos litigation history. The Travelers Indemnity Company, along with the Travelers Casualty and Surety Company of America, were the insurers for Johns Manville.
The widow of former Crane Co. worker, Ronald Dummitt, was awarded $8 million after the New York Supreme Court determined that the company was responsible for the prolonged asbestos exposure that ultimately led to the victim’s death. Ronald developed mesothelioma while working extensively around the Crane Co.’s materials that contained asbestos. The amount remains one of the largest asbestos settlements in New York.
In 2011, a judge in Montana approved one of the largest settlements in history against the W.R. Grace & Co., in Libby, Montana. The settlement was $43 million, yet since over 1,300 former employee and contractors filed against W.R. Grace, the individual settlement amounts ranged from $500 to around $60,000 per plaintiff. A few years earlier, in 2009, the company was also fined $54 million by the United States government for cleanup costs. The mine was littered with vermiculite, asbestos, and other dangerous products that put the public at risk.
In 2012, Doris K. Dummit, the widow of Robert Dummit, won a settlement amount of $8 million after her husband died from mesothelioma after prolonged exposure at work. Ronald, an United States Navy veteran, worked around asbestos for decades while employed by Crane Co. The company was said to be 99% responsible for Ronald’s health complications after they maliciously hid known information about the hazardous effects of asbestos. The verdict at the time was one of the largest sustained verdicts in the state of New York.
In 2011, the family of the Hall of Fame football player, Merlin Olsen, settled a mesothelioma lawsuit  in Los Angeles against several different companies. Although the settlement amount was never made public, at least ten companies, including several asbestos manufacturers,  agreed upon a large settlement after it was found that Olsen was exposed to asbestos for prolonged periods of time while working on construction projects as a teen and young adult.