Mesothelioma victim wins substantial jury award
Rhoda Evans was awarded a substantial sum of money when a Supreme Court jury found that her mesothelioma was caused by asbestos exposure from DWP and CertainTeed asbestos cement water pipes. Less than one tenth of the jury award was compensatory damages, while the remainder was made up of punitive damages.
Supreme Court Judge Conrad R. Aragon will decide on the final award amount, which is expected to be reduced from the jury award. Evans’ lawyer, Larry Gornick, hopes that the damages will relieve the burden of her medical expenses, ease her suffering and help prolong her life so she can continue taking care of her 7-year-old granddaughter, who was orphaned when her mother died of diabetes complications. Punitive damages are meant to protect consumer health by making product manufacturers more wary of trying to conceal dangerous characteristics of their products in the future.
Bobby Evans, Rhoda’s husband, worked with DWP from 1974 to 1998, and he was routinely exposed to asbestos when working with pipes that had been manufactured by Pennsylvania manufacturer CertainTeed. The jury found that CertainTeed knew that asbestos caused cancer in the 1960s, but they did not place a warning on their pipes until 1985.
For the full story, go to KPCC.
