Malignant Mesothelioma Asbestos Lawsuit Results in $6M Verdict

An Oklahoma jury has awarded $6 million in compensatory damages to a man who was diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma following second-hand exposure to asbestos as a child, as well as direct contact when he was older. 

The verdict came in a complaint filed by 51 year old Michael D. Galier, who sued more than a dozen companies who allegedly manufactured or sold the asbestos-containing products that caused his rare form of cancer.

Galier indicated that he experienced second-hand asbestos exposure from his father, who was a homebuilder and remodeler when he was a child, allegedly carrying home the toxic fibers on his clothing or in his hair. Galier also directly worked with asbestos products as a contractor and laborer of rental properties, and when he worked as an auto mechanic on brakes and clutches.

The jury ruled that Murco Wall Products and Welco Manufacturing Co. were both liable for some of Galier’s asbestos exposure. They found that Red Devil Inc., was not. Another defendant, M-D Building Products Inc., of Oklahoma, was dismissed from the case last year. The other defendants reached settlements out of court.

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.

Abestos lawsuits are the longest-running mass tort in U.S. history, with more than 600,000 people having filed a case against more than 6,000 defendants after being diagnosed with mesothelioma or other related injuries that were allegedly caused by inhaling asbestos fibers.

While mesothelioma lawsuits have traditionally been filed by individuals who worked with asbestos-containing products, an increasing number of secondary exposure mesothelioma cases have been brought in recent years on behalf of spouses, children and other family members who developed the disease after breathing asbestos fibers brought home in the hair or on the clothing of individuals who worked directly with the material.