California asbestos case settled for $5 million
190 people who claimed they were injured during the remodeling of the courthouse in Salinas, California have received a settlement after filing a lawsuit. The plaintiffs were a motley crew of courthouse employees, attorneys, and even a judge who say that they were exposed to asbestos and other materials during the courthouse renovation. "All the plaintiffs are getting something. Everybody is being compensated," said Anne Kepner, a San Jose attorney who represented 181 of the plaintiffs.
"The terms of the settlement are confidential, which is a condition that is not atypical," she added.
While the terms of the settlement are confidential, one estimate placed the total amount of the settlement around $5 million. The settlement has been years in the making, with the incident that sparked the lawsuits occurring between 2005 and 2006.
Originally, three separate lawsuits were filed. These suits were later combined into a single case before Judge Barry Hammer of San Luis Obispo County. The defendants in the case, Nova Partners and Skanska USA Building were found to have covered up warnings that dangerous materials like asbestos would be released during the work. Exposure to asbestos can lead to mesothelioma later in life. Mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer, may not develop until many decades after asbestos exposure. Yet the cancer can kill within months of the onset symptoms in some cases. The cancer affects thousands each year.
"Everyone had an interest to settle. We had litigated for about a year-and-a-half before the special master got involved. No one was resistant to mediation," Kepner concluded.