Retired Nurse

Age:   74 

Settlement:  $4.4 Million

Mary was 74 years old when she was diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma. At the time of her diagnosis she was a retired nurse. Mary was never occupationally exposed to asbestos. However she did breathe in asbestos fibers at home when she laundered her husband Cal’s dirty work clothes. Mary’s husband had worked in a foundry and at a ship–dismantling yard in Richmond, California.

Mary and Cal first consulted with another well–known asbestos law firm in California, and were disappointed when that firm rejected their case. But when Mary called Clapper, Patti, Schweizer & Mason, we determined that she and Cal were entitled to compensation.

We sued Cal’s employers. We were able to develop evidence to prove that Cal’s employers should have known about the hazards of asbestos, and should have taken steps to protect Cal and his family members from being exposed to asbestos fibers. We argued that Cal’s employers had a duty to protect Mary from the asbestos Cal encountered at work, and that they failed to take any steps to prevent her from being exposed.

We argued that Cal’s employers should have instructed their employees about asbestos hazards, that they should have provided them with breathing protection, and that they should have provided changing rooms and laundry facilities so the employees did not bring home fibers home to their families.

We settled with the responsible companies just before trial for a total of $4.4 million.