Jury Awards Libby, Montana Mesothelioma Victims $4 Million Each
Following heart-wrenching testimony and the presentation of mountains of evidence, a federal jury ruled against BNSF Railway and ordered the company to pay $4 million each to the estates of two Libby, Montana residents who died of malignant mesothelioma. The families had accused the company of negligence in allowing asbestos-contaminated vermiculite to spill into its railyard and blow through the downtown area.
Libby, Montana Vermiculite Blamed for Mesothelioma Deaths
Libby, Montana’s tragic legacy of asbestos-related disease follows years of W. R. Grace & Co. extracting vermiculite from their mine above the town and transporting it across the country for use in insulation and other applications. Thousands died of mesothelioma and other illnesses as a result of this product, and many of them lived in the path of the railcars that transported the carcinogenic material from the mine to the railyard and then across the country.
Though the jury did not find that BNSF had acted intentionally or with indifference, they did blame the railway company’s negligence for the mesothelioma victims’ illnesses and deaths. Both victims lived near the railyard and suffered significant exposure. Though BNSF’s attorney told jurors that the company’s employees hadn’t known that the vermiculite was dangerous and suggested that the victims might have been exposed to asbestos elsewhere, the jury rejected their argument.
Mesothelioma Trial Evokes Memories for Libby Residents
The testimony presented during the mesothelioma trial evoked strong memories for many residents of Libby, who recalled the piles of vermiculite found in the town. One resident spoke of playing in piles of the toxic material and helping his father add it to their home garden. He, his two siblings, and both of his parents were all later diagnosed with asbestos-related diseases.
More mesothelioma litigation surrounding the contamination of Libby, Montana is expected to begin this summer and into the future.
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