Former Handyman Awarded $2 Million for Asbestos Exposure, Mesothelioma
A man who used to work as a handyman in Illinois has been awarded $2 million in damages by jurors who found he was wrongly exposed to cancer-causing asbestos, which caused him to develop mesothelioma.
William Willis, a 69-year-old former resident of Williamsville, a northern suburb of Springfield, Ill., sued Bondex International Inc. and other companies accusing them of negligently causing him to develop pleural mesothelioma, a rare but deadly form of lung cancer caused by exposure to asbestos.
Workers in the construction, automotive repair, mining, shipbuilding, maritime, and industrial careers are most at risk of developing mesothelioma after being exposed to asbestos. The cancer affects the linings of the heart, lungs, and stomach but can quickly spread undetected to other areas of the body. It can take up to 40 years after exposure to asbestos for symptoms of mesothelioma to appear.
Willis worked as a night-shift U.S. Postal Service worker from 1996 until he retired in 1992. During some of those years, he also worked during the day as a handyman and used asbestos-containing pipe and joint compounds. Asbestos was commonly used in such construction materials until its use was phased out of products in about 1977.
Inadequate Warnings Alleged
Willis’ lawsuit said the building materials he worked with either did not carry warnings about the health risks of asbestos exposure or had warnings that were inadequate, according to a report in the State Journal-Record.
The companies said Willis was mistaken about which products he had used over the years and that the amount of asbestos in their products was not enough to require them under the law to warn consumers about the risks of developing mesothelioma. Also, the companies defended the suit by saying there was no known cause for Willis’ mesothelioma.
A Sangamon County jury agreed with Willis and ordered Bondex to pay him $1.5 million in damages plus $500,000 to his wife, Sharon Willis, for her loss of consortium. Jurors found two other defendants in the lawsuit were not negligent or responsible for his injury. Other defendants in the suit had settled with Willis before the case went to trial.
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