Asbestos case for Salinas Courthouse settled for about $5 million

Dec 12, 2009

Nearly 200 people had filed a group of lawsuits concerning asbestos-related workplace injuries during the remodeling of Salinas Courthouse in California. The plaintiffs included attorneys, courthouse employees, a judge and other people who worked in the north courthouse wing during the remodeling. An omnibus settlement was reached that will provide compensation for all plaintiffs, though the amount of the settlement is undisclosed. One estimate has placed the total of the settlement around $5 million.

The plaintiffs had originally files three separate lawsuits that were later rolled into one case. All of the plaintiffs claimed to have been exposed to asbestos and other toxic substances that were released into the air when demolition work was undertaken by Nova Partners and Skanska USA Building in 2005 and 2006. The suit claimed that the former project managers covered up warnings about the release of hazardous substances during demolition with a false paper trail. Both companies pleaded no contest when they were criminally indicted for the asbestos contamination in March 2006, but the misdemeanor charges were dismissed after the companies completed the terms of their probation.

Superior Court Judge Albert Maldonado was one of the plaintiffs, and he stated that the resolution of the case was to the mutual satisfaction of all parties, although the terms and conditions were confidential.

For the full story, go to Monterey County Herald.

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