Texas legislation would expedite mesothelioma lawsuits

June 20th, 2009 by Wendi Lewis

bill 100x100 Texas legislation would expedite mesothelioma lawsuitsAccording to a report in Risk & Insurance magazine, legislation currently pending in the Texas Senate would make it easier for people with mesothelioma to have their day in court. Senate Bill 1123, which is sponsored by Senator Robert Duncan (R-Lubbock) would eliminate the need for mesothelioma victims to prove exactly how much asbestos they had been exposed to as the source of their cancer.

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Family of former Navy man awarded $1.2 million asbestos verdict

June 19th, 2009 by Wendi Lewis

anchor 100x100 Family of former Navy man awarded $1.2 million asbestos verdictA jury in Newport News, Virginia, Circuit Court awarded the family of a former Navy sailor $1.2 million, finding that his death from mesothelioma was linked to the asbestos fibers he inhaled during his career. Gerald Gray died in April at age 75, after battling mesothelioma for 16 months. Mesothelioma is a rare that most often affects the lining of the lungs, but which can also affect the lining of the abdomen or, more rarely, the heart. It is caused by asbestos exposure.

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Historic courthouse needs more than $600k for asbestos abatement

June 9th, 2009 by Wendi Lewis

plymouth county courthouse 100x100 Historic courthouse needs more than $600k for asbestos abatementThe results of a recent inspection of the historic 1820 Courthouse and the adjacent Plymouth County Commissioner’s building in Plymouth, Massachusetts, has resulted in an estimate topping $600,000 for recommended and required renovations and repairs to meet environmental standards. According to a report in the Wicked Local Plymouth, the assessment was completed by Atlantic Environmental Technologies, Inc., of New Bedford, and includes plans for removal of asbestos, lead and three underground storage tanks.

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Jury rules for Navy veteran in mesothelioma case

May 20th, 2009 by Wendi Lewis

anchor 100x100 Jury rules for Navy veteran in mesothelioma caseThis week a Los Angelels, Calif., county jury ruled in favor of former U.S. Navy machinist Charles H. Cundiff, saying his mesothelioma is a result of the asbestos he handled during his service from 1962-1966. The jury awarded Cundiff and his family $12.1 million in damages from two firms, John Crane, Inc. and Lone Star Industries.

According to a report by AHN Media Corp., it was determined that Cundiff, now 66, handled Insulag cement, manufactured by John Crane Inc. and distributed by Lone Star Industries, when he worked for nine months on a project to overhaul the USS Kitty Hawk during his Navy career as a machinist. The insulating cement was laced with .

Mesothelioma is attributed exclusively to exposure. It is a rare cancer that most often affects the lining of the lungs, but which can also attack the lining of the stomach and/or the heart. There is no known cure for mesothelioma at this time.

Wisconsin widow can sue for asbestos-related death

May 13th, 2009 by Wendi Lewis

A Wisconsin appeals court has ruled that a woman who lost her husband to mesothelioma in 2004 is within her rights to sue his former employer. The man, Walter Tatera, worked in a machine shop, where he ground brake linings to be installed in automobiles. His widow the manufacturer failed to warn her husband that the parts contained asbestos and could pose a health hazard.

When inhaled, asbestos fibers can become lodged in the body and cause serious health problems, such as asbestosis, a severe scarring of the lungs, and mesothelioma, a deadly cancer that affects the lining of the lungs and, sometimes, the stomach and/or heart.

The mesothelioma lawsuit was filed by Vicki Tatera of Greenfield, and was reinstated on Tuesday by the District 1 Court of Appeals. The defendant is FMC Corp. The case will now go to trial.

Source: Chicago Tribune

EPA fines Arizona schools for asbestos violations

May 12th, 2009 by Wendi Lewis

epa 100x100 EPA fines Arizona schools for asbestos violationsThe U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently fined five Arizona charter school operators for violations of the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act. There is no immediate danger to students, faculty or the community, but the schools failed to conduct federally required safety inspections to ensure there was no asbestos-containing material present, and did not have in place an asbestos management plan, also a requirement. Fines totaled close to $40,000 for all five schools.

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Court reopens asbestos injury claim against Anheuser-Busch

May 11th, 2009 by Wendi Lewis

According to a recent report in the Insurance Journal, a former Anheuser-Busch employee will have the opportunity to reopen his claim against the company for an asbestos-related lung disease. On May 4, the New Hampshire Supreme Court reversed a decision by the New Hampshire Compensation Appeals Board (CAB), which had earlier ruled the man had waited too long to file a complaint.

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Florida jury awards nearly $1 million for mesothelioma death

May 1st, 2009 by Wendi Lewis

This week a Bay County, Florida, awarded $995,600 to Betty McBride of Lynn Haven, whose husband, Woodrow McBride, died of mesothelioma in 2006 at the age of 67. Mr. McBride filed a wrongful death lawsuit on Aug. 10, 2006, but passed away on Sept. 20, 2006, before seeing the case go to trial. He was diagnosed with mesothelioma one year prior to his death.

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Mesothelioma attorneys killed in plane crash

April 30th, 2009 by Wendi Lewis

snowdrop 100x100 Mesothelioma attorneys killed in plane crashTwo colleagues in the legal community who fight for justice for the victims of asbestos exposure were killed this week, when their plane crashed in Mayfield Village, Ohio, on Tuesday, April 28. Michael Doran, 51, of Doran & Murphy law firm in Buffalo, New York, and 26-year-old firm associate Matthew Schnirel were killed when the plane piloted by Mr. Doran crashed shortly after takeoff from Cuyahoga County Airport in Cleveland, Ohio.

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Judge rules against New Jersey man autopsy in asbestos death case

March 16th, 2009 by Wendi Lewis

This site recently reported on the case of Harold St. John, whose family was prevented from burying their loved one because of a legal request for an autopsy. The family is engaged in a lawsuit against several auto parts manufacturers, claiming St. John was exposed to asbestos while working with the products as an auto mechanic. St. John recently died of mesothelioma, a cancer that is caused by .

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