In May 2014, Lipsitz, Ponterio & Comerford obtained over $3 million dollars on behalf of a former plant worker for injuries resulting from his exposure to asbestos. At the age of sixty-one, our client was diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma. He brought suit against several companies responsible for the manufacture, distribution, and sale of asbestos-containing products to his work site. Due to the confidential nature of this settlement, the names of the settling parties and the amount contributed by each company to the overall settlement cannot be disclosed.
At age twenty, our client went to work at Diemolding, Inc., a plastic molding facility located in Canastota, New York. Until the late 1970s, Diemolding utilized asbestos-containing plastic molding compound to make plastic parts, including handles and knobs for pots and pans. During our client’s short time at Diemolding in the summer of 1972, his job duties included loading asbestos-containing plastic molding compound into a compression molding machine and cleaning out the press with an air hose. Both steps caused a considerable amount of asbestos dust and fibers to become airborne, which our client inhaled.
This case is significant because our client had only a brief exposure to airborne asbestos fibers and dust (he worked 8-10 hours a day, 5 days a week over a course of 12 weeks). Throughout his lifetime, his only known exposure to asbestos occurred during his 1972 summer employment at Diemolding. Duration and intensity of exposure are two important factors directly correlated to asbestos-related diseases. In the case of our client, the intensity of exposure ultimately caused his mesothelioma.
Our client died on June 30, 2013, after battling mesothelioma for one year leaving behind his wife of over forty years, three children, and two grandchildren.