Mesothelioma Lawsuit: Woman won $17 million

$17.87 million dollars have been awarded to a woman by the jury on a settlement involving asbestos exposure causing mesothelioma cancer. The woman, “Jayne Menssen” claimed she was exposed to asbestos during her employment with Union Asbestos and Rubber Co in 1960s’s as a secretary.

 Sustained asbestos exposure is known to cause malignant mesothelioma. Menssen said, the defendants
Pneumo Abex LLC and Honeywell International Inc. failed to inform her about the side effects of asbestos exposure intentionally. This was a common practice among employers misleading the employees to work with asbestos for their own gains. At the end many employers have ended up paying huge amounts to settle lawsuits filed by their employees.

 Mesothelioma cancer symptoms unveil themselves only after 20 – 30 years of exposure. In Menssen case, she was exposed to asbestos in 1960 where it took more time than regular. Prognosis is also difficult as the symptoms are subtle and the doctors themselves fail to diagnose mesothelioma properly. Treatment options include palliative methods aimed at relieving pain rather than killing the rumor cells causing the cancer.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, there is no safe level of asbestos exposure. Those who believe they have been exposed should seek routine medical checkups with a qualified physician for signs of asbestos exposure. The time taken for this trial is four weeks. Menssen received $10 million from Honeywell and $3.5 as compensatory damages and $4.37 million from Pneumo Abex as punitive damages.

Source: asbestos.net