Jury Awards Navy Boilermaker Over $4.6 Million For Lung Cancer Caused by Asbestos Exposure

SAN FRANCISCO — June 10, 1999 — A San Francisco jury awarded a boilermaker and his wife over $4.6 million in damages in a lawsuit against Exxon Corporation on June 10, 1999, for injuries resulting from occupational exposure to asbestos while working at the Exxon refinery in Benicia, California.

The case captioned Todd v. Asbestos Defendants (BHC), San Francisco Superior Court Case No. 969158, involved Mason Todd and his wife, Barbara. The Todds filed their lawsuit against Exxon Corporation and various manufacturers and suppliers of asbestos products, as well as general contractors and other property owners. In 1996, Mr. Todd was diagnosed with lung cancer. He is 67 years old and currently resides in Sulphur, Louisiana.

Mason Todd claimed he developed deadly cancer as a result of exposure to asbestos while installing and removing asbestos-containing insulation products, as well as working around others installing and removing such products, throughout his forty-plus year career as a boilermaker/welder. Mr. Todd was employed at various refineries, shipyards, and other commercial sites, primarily in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Todd specifically alleged exposure to asbestos and asbestos-containing products while employed at the Exxon refinery in Benicia, California, as a boilermaker and construction superintendent during the 1960s through the 1980s.

The jury found in favor of co-defendant Dillingham Construction Company N.A., Inc., The other named defendants had resolved the case before it went to the jury. The Todds were represented by the law firm of Brayton Purcell LLP.

Jurors deliberated for three days and awarded Mason Todd $129,618.50 in economic damages and $3,000,000 for pain and suffering. Barbara Todd was awarded $1,500,000 for the loss of her husband’s care, comfort, and society. San Francisco Superior Court Judge Diane Wick presided over the three–month trial.