Asbestos Litigation

A former councilman from Baldwin Park, California, and his wife were recently awarded $48 million in asbestos compensation after the man reportedly contracted malignant mesothelioma while working in the construction industry.

According to the Baldwin Park Patch, a Los Angeles jury found a number of companies liable for 86-year-old Bobby Izell's exposure to asbestos throughout his construction career. In addition to the $30 million in compensatory damages awarded to the couple, the jury found Union Carbide Corporation acted with malice and ordered the company to pay another $18 million to the individuals.

Izell's asbestos attorney told the news provider that the verdict is the largest of its kind in the country this year.

"He's a fighter, he's doing his best,'' the attorney said of Izell. "The asbestos companies abjectly refused to admit that their products are causing cancer. But we discovered not only that their products caused cancer but that they also spent millions hiding that fact.'"

According to the National Cancer Institute, malignant mesothelioma is diagnosed in approximately 2,500 people in the U.S. each year. Asbestos exposure has also been proven to cause asbestosis and lung cancer.