Verdict of $9.25 Million in Virginia Mesothelioma Case
Wednesday, July 11th, 2007
The widow of a Newport News (VA) shipbuilder who died of mesothelioma has been awarded $9.25 million in a Virginia Circuit Court as compensation for her late husband’s death and suffering.
According to a press release issued by the law firm that represented the widow, the verdict was returned against two suppliers to the shipbuilding injury: John Crane, Inc. and Garlock Sealing Technologies. John Crane, Inc. is a multi-national company that once manufactured gaskets and sealants made with asbestos. Garlock Sealing Technologies is a Palmyra, New York company that made the same products. The court ordered Crane to pay 60% of the amount with Garlock responsible for the remainder.
It was believed that the victim, Vaughn Oney, was exposed to asbestos on a daily basis when he worked at the Newport News Naval Shipyard from 1963 to 1973, when he was in his 20s and early 30s. After he left the shipyard, he worked in several other industries until his retirement in 1994. Oney’s lawyer states that he was in good health at the time of his retirement, but began having breathing difficulties and was subsequently diagnosed with mesothelioma in 2004. He died last year.
Oney’s verdict follows by a year another similar verdict for the family of Buddy Jones, a long time Newport News Shipyard worker who also died of the asbestos-caused cancer. His family received an award of $10.4 million.
Because of the large shipbuilding industry in this region of the U.S., many cases of mesothelioma have been reported and several lawsuits are pending against companies such as Crane and Garlock.
