Asbestos Litigation

The mayor of the Italian town of Casale Monferrato, which has been under the microscope recently due to an ongoing asbestos trial against former executives of Eternit, has reportedly delayed signing what has been termed a "pact with the devil," offered by lawyers for one of the executives.

According to Laurie Kazan-Allen, the Coordinator of International Ban Asbestos Secretariat (IBAS), public attention has been fixated on the Italian town as media coverage has shed light on the proposed deal. The multi-million euro settlement would reportedly enable Stephan Schmidheiny, one of the former Eternit executives, to escape current and potential future blame for exposing victims to asbestos.

In addition to media scrutiny, Kazan-Allen notes it is believed Italy's Minister of Health has also attempted to intervene, calling Mayor Giorgio Demezzi to ask him to reconsider signing the deal, which Demezzi had previously said would not be acceptable in Casale.

Despite the delay, however, Demezzi is ultimately still expected to sign the deal before the deadline of December 31, a move that would come as a significant blow to the asbestos victims. Many of these individuals are likely suffering from asbestosis, lung cancer or malignant mesothelioma, diseases that are often not diagnosed until decades after initial exposure, which means treatment options are generally limited.