Baron & Budd Obtains Largest Asbestos Related Judgment in Louisiana

The judgment obtained in this mesothelioma case is the largest asbestos verdict for a single client in the state, surpassing the firm’s previous record of $17.2 million.

NEW ORLEANS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The nationally recognized law firm of Baron & Budd recently obtained a record-breaking judgment in a mesothelioma case in the state of Louisiana. A jury found Level 3 Holdings, Inc. (formerly known as Peter Kiewit Sons’ Co.) and twenty other Louisiana-based companies liable for giving the Plaintiff mesothelioma and awarded the victim an extraordinary $36.7 million in damages.

The victim, who was a welder and pipefitter in the 1960s and 1970s, was diagnosed with mesothelioma last year. The victim is a retired union member, who was exposed to asbestos through his work as a pipefitter. The plaintiff worked at numerous plants along Cancer Alley throughout his career. The target trial defendant was the plaintiff’s employer, Level 3 Holdings (formerly known as Peter Kiewit Sons’ Co.), which is part of the Kiewit corporate empire.

According to the lawsuit, the victim was exposed to asbestos while working with and around asbestos-containing products and equipment, and while in the vicinity of others using or handling asbestos products at these facilities, which released injurious levels of asbestos-containing dust all of which the victim was exposed to and breathed.

When asbestos is inhaled or ingested, it causes irreparable and progressive lung damage that can manifest itself as asbestos-related pleural disease, mesothelioma, gastrointestinal cancer, cardiac problems, other lung diseases, and various other injuries.

The lawsuit alleged that each of the companies were negligent because they knew or should have known through industry and medical studies of the health hazards inherent in the asbestos containing products they were selling or using. The focus of the trial centered on the undisputed proof that Kiewit failed to provide the plaintiff with a safe work environment, which ultimately resulted in plaintiff being diagnosed with a man-made cancer, mesothelioma. There is no cure for mesothelioma. Consequently, Kiewit’s failure to warn the plaintiff about the dangers of asbestos has caused plaintiff’s death sentence.

“The victims of mesothelioma and their families face many challenges as soon as they receive the shocking diagnosis,” said Baron & Budd Shareholder, David Cannella. “We know that no amount of money can make things right for mesothelioma victims, but it is necessary they receive financial support for the costly medical bills and expenses they have incurred as a result of the negligence of companies that chose profits over safety.”

After a six-day trial, the jury found the companies were negligent in their responsibility to warn the victim of the health hazards of the asbestos products in their facilities and issued a judgment of $36.7 million to the victim.

About Baron & Budd, P.C.

Baron & Budd, P.C. is among the largest and most accomplished plaintiffs’ law firms in the country. With more than 45 years of experience, Baron & Budd has the expertise and resources to handle complex litigation throughout the United States. As a law firm that takes pride in remaining at the forefront of litigation, Baron & Budd has spearheaded many significant cases for hundreds of entities and thousands of individuals. Since the firm was founded in 1977, Baron & Budd has achieved substantial national acclaim for its work on cutting-edge litigation, trying hundreds of cases to verdict and settling tens of thousands of cases in areas of litigation as diverse and significant as dangerous and highly addictive pharmaceuticals, defective medical devices, asbestos and mesothelioma, California wildfires and environmental contamination, fraudulent banking practices, e-cigarettes, motor vehicles, federal whistleblower cases, and other consumer fraud issues.

Debra Webb
Monica Cordova
Baron & Budd, P.C.
MediaRelations@baronbudd.com