Asbestos Mesothelioma Lawsuit Results in $1.5M Verdict

A former shipyard worker was awarded $1.5 million in damages last week by a New Orleans jury in a mesothelioma lawsuit over asbestos exposure. 

Leopold Granier, Jr filed the asbestos lawsuit against Union Carbide, Avondale Shipyards and Cajun Insulation, alleging that the negligence of the companies led to him contracting a rare and deadly form of cancer known as mesothelioma.

Last Friday, an Orleans Parish Civil District Court jury returned a verdict in favor of the plaintiff and awarded $1.5 million in general damages and $104,160.77 in special damages. The jury found that the three companies were negligent in exposing Granier to asbestos and strictly liable because their products substantially contributed to his mesothelioma.

Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer found in the lining of the chest and lungs, which is only known to occur as a result of exposure to asbestos. The disease has a very long latency period and is often not discovered until decades after exposure, leading to a limited life expectancy after a mesothelioma diagnosis.

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. When inhaled, asbestos fibers can cause asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma. The illnesses have a long latency period, with signs of illness sometimes not showing up for decades.

Asbestos litigation is the longest running mass tort in U.S. history, with the first case filed in 1929. Over 600,000 people have filed lawsuits against 6,000 defendants after being diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis or other asbestos-related diseases.