Update (12/02/2024): A Connecticut Superior Court judge increased the verdict to $22.5 million after adding $7.5 million in punitive damages in November 2024.
The family of a man who died in 2023 of mesothelioma was awarded an initial $15 million mesothelioma verdict in an asbestos lawsuit in Connecticut. The amount increased to $22.5 million after punitive damages.
According to the Middletown Press, a Connecticut Superior Court jury found Vanderbilt Minerals responsible for exposing the victim to asbestos and causing his deadly cancer. Vanderbilt Minerals is a worldwide supplier of raw materials and chemicals. The company has an office in Norwalk, Connecticut.
The initial verdict of $15 million was for compensatory damages, which are damages paid to the victim as restitution for harm caused to them. An additional $7.5 million was added for punitive damages, which are damages used as punishment to keep other companies from committing the same malicious acts.
How the Victim Was Exposed to Asbestos
The victim, who had three adult children, was exposed to asbestos-contaminated talc while working as a process engineer at the General Electric plastics plant in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. He worked at the plant from 1965-1967.
During that time, General Electric bought asbestos-tainted talc from International Talc Co., to produce phenolic molding compounds. Plant workers – such as the victim in the lawsuit against Vanderbilt Minerals – dumped bags of talc into hoppers as part of the plastics-manufacturing process.
The talc came from a pit in upstate New York known as “the Arnold Pit,” which is known to contain asbestos. Exposure to asbestos is the only cause of mesothelioma, which is a rare and aggressive cancer that forms in the lining of the lungs or abdominal cavity. Asbestos can also cause lung cancer and ovarian cancer.
Even though the victim worked for General Electric, the business practices of International Talc caused his asbestos exposure. The company’s collection of asbestos-tainted talc and sale of the talc to General Electric was the primary wrongdoing.
Evidence during the trial revealed that Vanderbilt Minerals purchased International Talc Co. in 1974. Jurors determined that Vanderbilt Minerals is responsible for asbestos exposure caused by International Talc’s operations.
How Asbestos Contaminates Talc
Asbestos and talc are naturally occurring minerals. They’re often found in similar geographical areas, such as the Arnold Pit in upstate New York. The link between talc and mesothelioma is due to the potential of asbestos contamination. Mining for talc to produce plastics or to include in health care products can result in small fragments of asbestos mixed with talc.
Health and beauty companies such as Johnson & Johnson are facing tens of thousands of lawsuits from consumers who now have cancer potentially due to using these talc products. Workers in plants that relied on talc faced the same risks of asbestos exposure.
Plant workers, especially those working with talc, were regularly exposed to asbestos during the 20th century. If you have mesothelioma and worked in a plastics plant or another plant involving handling talc or asbestos, our patient advocates can help determine how you were exposed and which companies are at fault. Email patient advocate Carl Jewett at cjewett@mesotheliomaguide.com to learn more.
Sources & Author
- Bridgeport jury awards $15 million in Milford man’s death in asbestos case involving Norwalk company. The Middletown Press. Retrieved from: https://www.middletownpress.com/news/article/bridgeport-jury-awards-15m-milford-man-s-death-19463720.php. Accessed: 05/29/2024.
- Connecticut Judge Adds $7.5 Million in Punitive Damages to $15 Million Mesothelioma Verdict Against R.T. Vanderbilt. BusinessWire. Retrieved from: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241127838588/en/Connecticut-Judge-Adds-7.5-Million-in-Punitive-Damages-to-15-Million-Mesothelioma-Verdict-Against-R.T.-Vanderbilt. Accessed: 12/02/2024.
Sources & Author
