Boston asbestos injury

January 11, 2018

Update: Children’s Makeup Retailer Claims Products Asbestos-Free

Days after a major retailer of children’s makeup cleared shelves after a customer accused the company of peddling asbestos-laden products, the business is now insisting the products are asbestos-free.

The products were yanked after one customer reportedly tested her daughter’s makeup and alleged asbestos was found. Now, the retailer says it has conducted its own testing (specifically on a brand of glitter makeup) and insists there is no asbestos therein, according to CNN.

While we must first note that there has been no formal finding of liability at this time or even independent proof that the deadly substance was ever in this product. Still, it’s not difficult to understand why consumers have a tough time trusting large, lucrative companies when it comes to these issues. It’s been established repeatedly that in the past, hundreds of firms willfully lied to the public over the course of 200 years about whether their products contained deadly asbestos fibers or whether those fibers were in fact dangerous. Most of those corporations were involved in mining asbestos or distribution of certain building materials laden with the material. Continue reading

January 17, 2017

New Ruling on Take-Home Asbestos Cases from Cali. Court

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

According to a recent article published by the Los Angeles Times, defendants in mesothelioma lawsuits can now be held liable for what are known as “take-home” asbestos cases. These are cases where a worker was employed at job that exposed him or her to deadly asbestos fibers during his or her shift and then returned home still covered with the toxic materials.

This was a very common occurrence, because the companies that produced and worked with asbestos did not want their workers to know they were being exposed to a toxic substance. Since they were actively trying to hide the fact that asbestos caused malignant mesothelioma, asbestosis and other serious types of respiratory illness, they were not providing the workers with any appropriate safety equipment like protective clothing and respirators. Continue reading

July 28, 2016

Burnham Boiler Maker to Pay $28M in Two Asbestos Trials

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

Two multi-million dollar verdicts by separate juries in two asbestos injury cases in New York resulted in damages collectively totaling $28 million, to be paid by boilermaker Burnham.

According to Legal Newline, one case resulted in the estate of one man receiving a $6.25 million victory in mid-June, while a second case awarded a man suffering from mesothelioma $22 million.

In both cases, plaintiffs allege they were exposed to deadly asbestos fibers after coming in contact with boilers made by Burnham. Continue reading

July 17, 2016

Mesothelioma: A Breakdown of the Real Costs

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

In recent years, there have been a number of sizable mesothelioma lawsuit damage awards. This has prompted oft-repeated refrains for tort reform, questions about how jurors could ever conclude such a sum was justified and lamenting that such awards drive up various costs (taxes, insurance, product prices, etc.) for the rest of us.

Certainly, our mesothelioma attorneys know that these damage awards sound like an awful lot. After all, how many of us ever dreamed of winning $11 million or more?

But what is often misunderstood is that these damage awards are not windfalls. They are compensation for actual irreversible harms – up to and including death. Yes, punitive damages – intended to punish defendants for egregious wrongs – are sometimes factored in. But plaintiffs have to meet a certain proof burden before they can even seek punitive damages and they are only ever awarded in the most serious of cases. Continue reading