Asbestos Verdict Rules for $20 Million Payout

Article Added December 18th, 2006 - Print This Story - Bookmark This Story

Daimler Chrysler was ordered to pay an asbestos victim more than $20 million in a verdict passed this week. Lawyers for the car company stated that they expect the verdict to be overruled during appeals.

In a verdict passed this week, car manufacturer Daimler Chrysler was ordered to pay an asbestos victim and his wife more than $20 million by way of settlement. The man contracted mesothelioma, a form of lung cancer that often results from asbestos exposure. The jury awarded the man $25 million, of which Daimler will be responsibly for most of the payout though the court found the company responsible for only 10% of the man’s condition. Two companies that were also found responsible for the condition have gone out of business, leaving Daimler with most of the bill.

Lawyers for the car company state that they are certain the verdict will be overturned when the case is brought to appeals court. The man worked with car brakes for decades, exposing him to asbestos dust over the years. The victim’s left lung was removed in 2004 after it was ravaged by mesothelioma, a cancer caused by breathing in asbestos. Daimler’s lawyers state that the victim developed mesothelioma after undergoing radiation therapy in the 1970’s for Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

Article Added December 18th, 2006 - Print This Story - Bookmark This Story