Weitz & Luxenberg is proud to announce that we have been successful in getting a multimillion-dollar settlement in compensation for our client who suffers from mesothelioma. Our attorneys have successfully gotten verdicts and settlements totaling $17 billion for our clients.
Our client, a New Jersey resident, worked as mechanic for most of his life, replacing brake parts, clutches, and engine gaskets. His career began in the 1960s, working for an automobile dealership and using commercial replacement parts. Our client then enlisted and served in the United States Army for two years, working as a mechanic and doing the same work he did in civilian life.
50 Years of Asbestos Exposure Leaves Man with Mesothelioma
After his tour of duty, our client returned to working as a mechanic, now servicing heavy machinery and commercial trucks. He performed engine repairs and brake and clutch replacements, as well as welding on the company’s equipment.
The parts our client used all contained asbestos, resulting in continuous exposure to asbestos dust from the packing. Dust was also created by wear to the old parts that he serviced or replaced.
Our client continued working as a mechanic for various companies until 2011, doing the same work, servicing heavy machinery and commercial vehicles.
Additional Exposure from Consumer Products
In addition to his professional work, our client repaired his own vehicles and the vehicles of friends and family. He used products designed for consumers to perform motor work, transmission service, and clutch and brake replacements. Some of these products were manufactured by the same companies that made the products he used on the job.
Our client also did major renovations to his home in New Jersey, adding an upper floor with several bedrooms, a hallway, and a bathroom. He had a contractor frame the home; then he did all the sheetrock and spackling work. He also laid floor tile.
All of this involved cutting, sanding, and caulking. The sheetrock panels, the floor tile, and the spackling compound all contained asbestos, as did the caulk. Not only was our client exposed to dust when cutting and sanding the material, he was also exposed when he cleaned up.
The research that the attorneys at Weitz & Luxenberg did proved that all these products contained asbestos. And that asbestos exposure contributed to the mesothelioma our client suffered from.
Asbestos Exposure and Health Consequences
There are different types of asbestos, a naturally occurring silicate mineral. These minerals can be separated into thin microscopic fibers, which can be inhaled and lodge in the chest, chest lining, or other organs.
Asbestos products have been used for centuries. It was mined and used in North America since the late 1800s in a variety of products. In the automotive industry, asbestos is used in vehicle brake shoes and clutch pads. In home building and construction, asbestos was also used in ceiling and floor tile, paints and coatings, adhesives, and plastics.(1)
The threat from asbestos is when the particles enter the air. These fibers can be breathed in and stay in your body for decades. Eventually, these tiny asbestos fibers that are trapped in your lungs cause scarring and inflammation. They can also cause mesothelioma cancer.(2)
Our client was diagnosed with mesothelioma in December of 2014. Mesothelioma is a rare cancer caused by asbestos exposure.(3)
Upon learning of his diagnosis, our client turned to Weitz & Luxenberg for representation. “As soon as I met Larry, we shared a special connection, which empowered me to represent his interest and facilitated a strong trusting relationship. I was able to assure him that Weitz & Luxenberg would do everything legally possible to collect compensation for the harm he had suffered from all the years of exposure to these dangerous products,” says lead attorney Alex Eiden.
“After careful review and assessment of his case, I was able to identify the manufacturers of the products he had used and to show that they contained asbestos. It gave me great pleasure and satisfaction to deliver on that promise and recover compensation for him and his family.”
Settlement Reached with 10 Different Manufacturers
The 10 different manufacturers included a company that made clutches, another that crafted brake replacement parts, and another that produced home construction parts.
A total multimillion-dollar settlement was achieved for our client and his family. Our client is still alive and undergoing treatment for his condition.
“It is important to identify and hold accountable companies that put people at risk by manufacturing and selling dangerous products. We at Weitz & Luxenberg are proud of the work we do for our clients and the results we achieve,” states Leonard F. Feldman, who runs the asbestos practice for Weitz & Luxenberg for New Jersey and Pennsylvania, and was largely responsible for negotiating the settlements.
