Trial
Verdicts
Case
Status
Print
this pageMesothelioma Victim Awarded Over $950,000 For Cancer Caused by Exposure to Asbestos
SAN FRANCISCO — August 19, 1996 — A San Francisco Superior Court jury awarded Arthur Mitchell $953,112.00 for injuries associated with mesothelioma, a rare cancer believed to be caused by Mr. Mitchell’s exposure to asbestos products.
Mr. Mitchell worked at Moore Dry Dock, a San Francisco shipyard, building Liberty Ships in 1943 where he was first exposed to asbestos products as a welder. Mr. Mitchell continued to be exposed while a merchant marine from 1943–46, then while employed at a Johns–Manville cement pipe facility from 1953–62. He then started his own television repair business and retired in the early 1990s.
Defendant Asbestos Corporation Limited, (ACL) a Canadian mining company located in the town of Asbestos, Canada, old asbestos fibers to the makers of asbestos insulation used at the Moore Dry Dock. ACL’s fiber was also used in the various ships on which Mr. Mitchell served as a merchant marine.
In January, 1996, Mr. Mitchell began experiencing stomach pains. Exploratory surgery revealed that Mr. Mitchell had contracted mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer caused by asbestos. There is no known cure or treatment for mesothelioma, and Mr. Mitchell eventually passed away after his trial. Prior to 1996, Mr. Mitchell had been diagnosed with asbestosis.