Mesothelioma Law Blog

$1.5 Mesothelioma Settlement

An Erie County jury in Buffalo, New York has ordered a former supplier of asbestos-ridden control valves and control packing to pay $1.5 million in damages to a repair man who passed away from the asbestos-related illness mesothelioma.

Ronald Drabczyk repaired control valves manufactured by Fisher controls International, a division of Emerson Electric, which contained asbestos gaskets and packing. Drabczyk was a repair man for 18 years and passed away at the age of 70 on November 29, 2005, nine years after his retirement from the Niagara Falls plant.

Study To Examine Possible Genetic Predisposition To Mesothelioma

Medical researchers in North Carolina have announced a new study to investigate the possibility of a genetic predisposition to the development of mesothelioma. The Wake Forest School of Medicine in Winston Salem, NC and FirstHealth Carolinas, has undertaken research to better understand why only some individuals exposed to asbestos develop mesothelioma.

Dr. Jill Ohar of Wake Forest University, the study’s principal investigator, has spent more than 20 years studying mesothelioma. Her previous work includes research into understanding why some people and families appear more susceptible to developing the disease and whether such susceptibility could be inherited.

“Over years of research, we have determined that there is a strong tendency for mesothelioma to run in families and it tends to be associated with a family history of cancer, which suggests a genetic susceptibility,” Ohar said in a prepared statement about the current study released by FirstHealth Carolinas.

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Mesothelioma patient advocates for change in Indiana law

It has been reported that a 76-year-old mesothelioma patient appeared before a legislative committee in an effort to amend an Indiana law to allow additional time for people suffering from asbestos illnesses to file lawsuits against those responsible for causing asbestos exposure.

Presently, Indiana law requires the filing of an asbestos lawsuit within 10 years from the date of asbestos exposure. Proponents of an extension of this time period argue that asbestos illnesses such as asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma often develop more than 10 years after exposure to asbestos. Thus, many people with asbestos illnesses are barred from filing asbestos lawsuits because their time to sue expired even before they were diagnosed with an asbestos illness.

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