DuPont Mesothelioma Lawsuit Takes a Pause

2011-02-21 20:34:56 (GMT) (JusticeNewsFlash.com - Featured, Justice News Flash, Mesothelioma Asbestos)

02/16/2011 // Chicago, IL, USA // Mesothelioma Lawyers - Cooney & Conway // Cooney & Conway

The circumstances of the tragic mesothelioma case were all too familiar, but the new trial certainly was not.

After a former refinery worker was diagnosed with, and died of, mesothelioma—an aggressive cancer that is almost always linked to asbestos exposure—his family sued the company they alleged was responsible. When a jury disagreed in 2008, it seemed that the defendant, DuPont de Nemours, had been exonerated.

But the trial judge, it turned out, disagreed with the jury and threw out the verdict. Then he granted the mesothelioma lawyers’ request for a new trial.

That new trial, to be held in Jefferson County, Texas, is now temporarily on hold, with the trial judge, Donald Floyd, issuing a continuance—requested by the plaintiff’s attorneys.

According to the Southeast Texas Record, mesothelioma lawyers for the family of Willis Whisnant, Jr., told the court that the continuance was “not sought for purposes of delay but so that justice can and will be done.” The asbestos lawsuit had been filed by Whisnant’s daughter, Caryl Richardson. Whisnant, a former subcontractor for DuPont, died of mesothelioma in his late 70s, the legal journal reported.

The deadly consequences of asbestos exposure have long been a concern for workers in industrial fields. Asbestos—contained in products such as insulation and piping—can be released into the air and inhaled by anyone nearby. Once asbestos fibers become lodged in the lungs, they can trigger mesothelioma—a cancer that strikes the protective lining covering many of the body’s organs years, even decades later. This explains why so many retired asbestos workers are diagnosed with the disease late in life.

But mesothelioma is not the only disease that has been scientifically linked to asbestos exposure. Lung cancer and asbestosis—a severe respiratory disease—can also be triggered by inhaling asbestos fibers.

With asbestos still present in many factories, homes and even schools, the risk for mesothelioma and other conditions is still great today. They mainly strike people who work with asbestos, but these deadly diseases can also afflict those who simply live or study in places where the material exists.

The survival rates are grim: The World Health Organization estimates that asbestos-related diseases kill some 107,000 individuals globally each year. And in the case of mesothelioma, even a diagnosis is catastrophic. There is no known cure, not even a viable long-term treatment.

The only recourse asbestos victims typically have is the courtroom, where mesothelioma lawyers have succeeded in winning many large, and often multimillion-dollar verdicts. But until researchers succeed in beating the disease, the consequences of asbestos exposure will continue to disrupt and devastate thousands of lives and families.

*This news story was brought to you by the mesothelioma lawyers at Cooney & Conway. For more than half a century, we’ve brought relief—and recovery—to those injured by the negligence or harmful actions of others. In the process, we’ve litigated some of the country’s most significant asbestos lawsuits, helping victims of mesothelioma, lung cancer and other asbestos-related diseases get answers—and justice.

(*lawyer marketing)

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