Baron and Budd Announces California Jury Awards One of the Largest Mesothelioma Verdicts of the Year to the Family of a Mesothelioma Patient

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Union Carbide, a Dow Chemical subsidiary, and several other asbestos companies were forced to pay a $48 million verdict to the family of a mesothelioma patient. The Los Angeles Superior Court jury awarded the verdict after finding Union Carbide and others responsible for the client’s asbestos exposure and subsequent mesothelioma diagnosis. The mesothelioma verdict is one of the largest of its kind in the nation in 2012. Baron and Budd represented the patient's family at trial.

“But we discovered that not only are their products causing cancer, but that they also spent millions trying to hide it.”

Union Carbide brought up multiple paid expert witnesses who claimed that the company’s asbestos product, “Calidria asbestos,” was not responsible for the mesothelioma patient’s diagnosis. But several confidential internal memos revealed that Union Carbide staff physicians called for the company to cease the marketing and sales of its asbestos and criticized the company for claiming that the product did not cause disease.

Baron and Budd mesothelioma attorneys Christine Tamer and John Langdoc represented the family in the case.

“The asbestos companies despondently refused to acknowledge that their products caused cancer,” said mesothelioma attorney John Langdoc. “But we discovered that not only are their products causing cancer, but that they also spent millions trying to hide it.”

Riverside Cement and CalPortland, two other asbestos companies cited in the case, also brought forth paid expert witnesses to attest that the amount of asbestos released from their products was inconsequential. But evidence revealed that the bags that held their construction products were scientifically shown to contain quadrillions of fibers of asbestos.

While the jury found all defendants responsible in the case, they asked for $18 million in additional punitive damages from Union Carbide for its corporate cover-up of asbestos dangers.

“The jury awarded punitive damages from Union Carbide in the amount of $1 million for each year that the company continued to distribute asbestos after a 1967 internal memo where the company admitted that asbestos caused cancers, even after brief exposures,” said Langdoc.

Baron and Budd was one of the first mesothelioma law firms to take on the asbestos industry and continues to fight today. The law firm has been pursuing important consumer litigation for almost 35 years. Baron and Budd has a proven track record of significant mesothelioma verdicts, including a $55 million verdict in El Paso, TX; $20 million in San Francisco, CA; $17 million in Philadelphia, PA; $11 million in Dallas, TX; and numerous others throughout the nation.

To learn more about the mesothelioma lawyers at Baron and Budd, call 1.866.855.1229 or visit the firm’s dedicated mesothelioma website Mesothelioma News.

ABOUT BARON & BUDD, P.C.

The national mesothelioma law firm of Baron & Budd, P.C. has been “Protecting What’s Right” for asbestos sufferers and their families for nearly 40 years. As one of the first law firms to successfully litigate an asbestos lawsuit, Baron & Budd continues to actively represent veterans, industry workers and others who are suffering as a result of exposure to asbestos. Contact Baron and Budd at 1.866.855.1229 for additional information on mesothelioma treatments, mesothelioma cancer doctors and treatment centers and mesothelioma attorneys. http://baronandbudd.com