Family Awarded $3.8 Million After Employer is Blamed for Grandfather’s Mesothelioma Death
Before his diagnosis with malignant mesothelioma, Daniel Rugg was an avid outdoorsman who played a huge role in the life of his family, and particularly in the lives of his grandchildren. But years of exposure to asbestos put an early end to Mr. Rugg’s life, and a Pennsylvania jury ordered his former employer to pay his survivors $3.8 million in damages.
Mesothelioma Lawsuit Names Former Employer as Defendant
Most mesothelioma lawsuits blame product manufacturers for the injuries the victim has suffered. They accuse the companies of negligence for having failed to warn of the dangers posed by asbestos hidden in their equipment, parts, or supplies. Mr. Rugg’s case was unusual because his death was blamed on his former employer, Washington Penn Plastics.
Workers’ compensation laws generally protect employers from being named in personal injury lawsuits by their employees, but in this case, Washington Penn’s action was considered egregious. Despite knowing that asbestos was dangerous, they’d assigned Mr. Rugg to dump 50-pound bags of asbestos-contaminated industrial talc into giant storage hoppers. They provided him with no warning of the dangers that they knew he faced, and no protective gear.
Jury Awards Family $3.8 Million Following Mesothelioma Loss
Mr. Rugg suffered with his mesothelioma for three years before the disease took his life at the age of 64. It took the jury just one day of deliberation to find Washington Penn Plastics guilty of failing in its duty to protect him as their employee. The jury awarded the family $3.8 million in compensation. In response to the decision, the victim’s widow said, “This lawsuit was never about the money. This is about the fact that a jury has held Wash Penn responsible for putting profits over its people. I hope no other family has to go through the loss and pain my family and I have experienced.”
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