A Jury in the Newport News Circuit Court awarded $10.4 million to the widow of a shipyard worker who died from lung cancer after four years of exposure to asbestos containing products. The wrongful death lawsuit was brought against three companies that manufactured the materials: John Crane Inc., Denver’s Johns Manville Corp., and Garlock Sealing Technologies.
According to the Washingtonpost.com:
Buddy Jones was diagnosed with mesothelioma, a cancer caused almost exclusively by asbestos. Because the cancer can lie dormant for 20 to 50 years, some older shipyard workers are just realizing the effects of their asbestos exposure.
“A lot of these companies now accept responsibility and settle these cases regularly,” said Hatten, who has represented thousands of shipyard workers exposed to asbestos. “I hope this verdict will make companies like John Crane change their corporate attitude.”
