Sep
5
It’s a well known fact that exposure to asbestos in a working environment can cause lung cancer diseases such as mesothelioma. However, many people don’t realize that asbestos exposure can be transferred secondhand as well. For example, Pauline Levesque died in 2001 of mesothelioma after being exposed to asbestos fibers while washing her husband’s work clothes during the years that he worked as an airplane mechanic. Asbestos can be fatal even when it’s not through first-hand exposure.
Until recently, family members such as Levesque were unable to sue for compensation due to their asbestos-related disease. Unlike those employees put in direct contact with asbestos by their employers, family members like Levesque who contracted mesothelioma through secondhand exposure were unable to sue for medical bills or loss in quality of life compensation.
However, a recent decision made by the Washington State Court of Appeals overturned decisions in lower courts to deny the availability of compensation to those who contract mesothelioma through secondhand contact with asbestos. This means that family members like Levesque are now able to sue the employer who is responsible for their contact with asbestos.
Washington courts came to this decision while considering the death of Adeline Rochon. Rochon, like Levesque, contracted mesothelioma by laundering her husband’s uniforms while he was an employee of the Scott paper mill in Everett, Washington. The Kimberly Clark corporation was deemed responsible by the courts for Rochon’s death, leading to an open door for successful lawsuits in similar cases.
In similar cases where direct employees sued a corporation for compensation due to asbestos exposure, those employees have been awarded, at times, more than one million dollars. This decision in Washington may allow those who suffer from mesothelioma or other asbestos-related diseases due to secondhand exposure to be eligible for the same amount of money in their lawsuits.
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