Months after a mesothelioma victim received compensation from Ford Motor Company, the automobile company faces another asbestos verdict.
A jury in St. Louis ruled in favor of a family due to asbestos exposure from brake repairs. News outlets reported the family was awarded a $6 million verdict. The family claims one of their family members died of mesothelioma due to Ford Motor Company and other companies’ negligence.
The Washington Post reported the story, which involved Linda B., of Springfield, Missouri. Linda died at age 70 of mesothelioma, and her family filed a lawsuit against Ford Motor Company and other companies. Linda’s husband, son and daughter filed the lawsuit.
Asbestos Exposure Tied to Work on Automobiles
Automobiles routinely had asbestos added to brake linings and gaskets during the 20th century. Asbestos is fire- and heat-resistant, which protects the brakes from overheating. However, the process of brakes grinding together can cause asbestos dust to build up in the wheel well of the vehicle. This dust often includes sharp fragments of asbestos.
Repair of automobile brakes or installing brake drums can release this built-up dust and asbestos in the wheel well. If these sharp fragments are inhaled, they can puncture tissue linings near the lungs and cause mesothelioma or asbestos lung cancer.
Linda and her husband worked at automobile manufacturing companies in Springfield, Missouri, and the family’s lawsuit alleges that their work caused Linda’s mesothelioma cancer. The family said Ford Motor Company did not warn Linda, her husband or other workers that asbestos was present in dust created during repair work. Specifically, they said asbestos was released during the repair of vehicle brakes.
Second Mesothelioma Verdict Against Ford in 2022
Linda’s family succeeding in a lawsuit against Ford is not the first time this company was held accountable for causing mesothelioma. Earlier in 2022, Mesothelioma Guide reported that William Trokey and his wife received $20 million in a verdict against Ford Motor Company.
William was diagnosed with mesothelioma recently and asked Mesothelioma Guide for help finding a lawyer. Mesothelioma Guide put William and his wife in touch with a top asbestos law firm to go over their case and begin the lawsuit process.
William was a brake drum installer in the 1960s. The brake drums were made with asbestos, which Ford Motor Company allegedly knew was dangerous but chose not to tell workers or provide proper training or protective equipment. William’s lawyer told the jury how replacing brake drums can expose workers to 240 million fibers of asbestos.
About Mesothelioma Lawsuits
Mesothelioma lawsuits, such as the one filed by Linda’s family and the one filed by William Trokey and his wife, are one way for victims of asbestos exposure to receive compensation. Asbestos exposure is tied to the negligence and greed of multi-billion-dollar corporations, such as Ford Motor Company.
Mesothelioma lawsuits can lead to verdicts, like the one received by Linda’s family, or settlements. The former can lead to payments of millions of dollars, while settlements are undisclosed amounts agreed to by both parties in the lawsuit.
If you need help filing a lawsuit against Ford Motor Company because you believe your work on automobiles led to your mesothelioma diagnosis, contact Mesothelioma Guide. Our team of patient advocates can help you find a law firm to represent you with empathy and dedication. Please email Carl Jewett at cjewett@mesotheliomaguide.com.
Sources & Author
- $6 million awarded in asbestos lawsuit against Ford, others. US News. Retrieved from: https://www.usnews.com/news/us/articles/2022-11-01/6-million-awarded-in-asbestos-lawsuit-against-ford-others. Accessed: 11/03/2022.
Sources & Author
