Vickie Warren, a victim of mesothelioma and an anti-asbestos, mesothelioma awareness activist, was recently awarded more than $5 million in damages by a Salt Lake City, Utah jury. The jury awarded her $1.4 million in monetary damages, and $3.7 million in other damages for a total nearing $5.2 million. The jury’s decision represents an amount unprecedented in similar Utah cases, and has been recognized in the area’s legal news publications.
Mesothelioma is a terminal cancer of the mesothelium, a soft tissue which protects many of our body’s vital organs. The disease is caused almost exclusively by exposure to asbestos, a mineral whose microscopic, needle like fibers wreak havoc on the lungs and digestive tract when accidentally inhaled or ingested.
Mesothelioma can take years or even decades to develop after initial exposure to asbestos fibers. Once inhaled or ingested, the fibers slip through many of the body’s tissues due to their tiny size and peculiar shape. Eventually they become entangled in the sticky mesothelium, a tissue which provides lubrication to the vital organs. The asbestos fibers then cause mild scarring, which over time can develop into malignant tumors.
Asbestos fibers occur in a wide variety of construction materials and other products. While bans and restrictions have reduced the prevalence of the mineral in recent years, millions of people in a variety of industries have been exposed to asbestos throughout the latter half of the twentieth century.
Vickie Warren was exposed to asbestos as a young adult while helping her father with residential construction projects. The mineral was present in a joint compound manufactured by Georgia-Pacific LLP and Hamilton Materials, a company that negligently included the substance in their products despite knowledge of its potential dangers. Union Carbide, a separate company which manufactured the asbestos additive used in the joint compound, was also indicated in the lawsuit.
Like many victims of mesothelioma, Vickie was unaware of her disease and of her exposure to asbestos until she was diagnosed in 2007. Many of the symptoms of the disease are not only difficult to recognize, but also do not develop until the illness has already progressed dangerously.
When presented with the facts concerning Vickie’s history with the joint compound and the analysis of the compound’s makeup, Georgia-Pacific LLP and Union Carbide were found guilty of negligence and held responsible for Vickie’s disease. They were held legally responsible and ordered to pay a total of $5.2 in damages.
