California Mesothelioma Lawsuit Results in $27M Jury Award

A Los Angeles jury has awarded $26.6 million to a drywall worker who developed mesothelioma from asbestos exposure. 

The verdict was returned in a case filed by Michael Sutherland, who worked as a drywaller for 25 years from the late 60s through the early 90s.

Sutherland’s mesothelioma lawsuit originally targeted 30 different companies involved with the drywall industry, but most settled for undisclosed amounts, with the exception of Highland Stucco and Lime Products, Inc., which decided to fight his claim all the way to trial.

Last month, a Los Angeles Superior Court jury ruled in Sutherland’s favor against the company, despite efforts by the company’s legal team to place blame on other companies and Sutherland himself.

Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer, which is only known to be caused by exposure to asbestos and breathing asbestos fibers.  It is a lethal disease that is often at a very advanced stage when a diagnosis is made, resulting in a very short life-expectancy.

Asbestos litigation is the longest-running mass tort in U.S. history, with more than 600,000 people having filed a lawsuit against more than 6,000 defendants after being diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis or other diseases that were allegedly caused by inhaling asbestos fibers.

Asbestos was widely used in a variety of manufacturing and construction applications throughout the last century, with use peaking in 1973. Most uses of asbestos were banned in the mid-1980s. Sutherland says he was unaware how much asbestos was being used in stucco at the time, and described being exposed to stucco dust when large bags were dumped into mixers. In addition to his inability to work after the mesothelia diagnosis, Sutherland was an avid surfer and is no longer able to practice the sport.