Beasley, Allen, Crow, Methvin, Portis & Miles, P.C.

A 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 cancer 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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This week a Bay County, Florida, jury 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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The Louisiana Supreme Court is currently debating the merits of an appeal lodged by two companies held liable for the illness of Ray Rando, who was diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma in 2005.

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A story published last week in the Daily Press, which serves Newport News, Virginia, reports a new approach to litigation on behalf of mesothelioma victims injured by asbestos exposure on the job. The story involves Stanley Morton, who worked in the shipyard for 33 years as an electrician. He contracted mesothelioma in 2005 after being exposed to asbestos fibers throughout his career, and died at age 72 in 2007. His family sought compensation from Exxon (now Exxon-Mobil) – the company that owned some of the ships Morton worked on – instead of any parts suppliers, a groundbreaking departure from the usual path for such suits.

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A New Jersey jury awarded a Linden woman $7.5 million verdict against ExxonMobile Corp., saying she contracted peritoneal mesothelioma as a result of handling her husband’s clothing. John Anderson was employed at a refinery that was owned by ExxonMobile at the time, and his wife Bonnie had secondary exposure to his “take home” asbestos fibers for years, according to a report in NJBIZ magazine.

ExxonMobile was found responsible for the mesothelioma cancer last year. The trial to determine damages began approximately two weeks ago, resulting in the $7.5 million verdict in favor of Mrs. Anderson. According to the report, ExxonMobile plans to appeal the verdict.

The Louisiana First Circuit Court of Appeal upheld a verdict of $3.2 million for former contractor Ray Rando, who contracted mesothelioma as a result of asbestos exposure. The defendants are Parsons Infrastructure and Technology Group, and Jacobs Constructors. Rando worked for the companies between 1965 and 1985 as a pipe fitter and welder. He was diagnosed with mesothelioma in 2006.

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A San Francisco jury awarded a $20 million verdict to Joan Mahoney, a 69-year-old woman with mesothelioma, and her husband, Daniel. The case was presided over by Judge Thomas Mellon in San Francisco County Superior Court. The judgement finds Georgia Pacific liable for the production of asbestos-containing joint compound used in construction. Mrs. Mahoney handled the material in her part-time work with the family construction business.

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A six-member jury in Superior Court in Bergen County, New Jersey, ruled on Feb. 26 to award the family of Mark Buttitta a settlement of $30.3 million. The judgment is one of the largest ever in asbestos litigation in the state. Buttitta died of mesothelioma just before Christmas 2002, at age 50, after being diagnosed in 2001. Mesothelioma is lung cancer attributed to asbestos exposure. Mark Buttitta is survived by his wife and three daughters.

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A Superior Court in Los Angeles awarded former Navy sailor John R. “Jack” Davis $35.1 million in compensatory damages for his diagnosis of pleural mesothelioma, an aggressive cancer linked to asbestos. Davis was diagnosed in January 2007.

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