Weitz & Luxenberg Secures Settlements in Asbestos Cancer Cases of Two Sheet Metal Workers

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I am proud to help these families achieve some measure of relief. It means a great deal to me personally, with my father having been a sheet metal worker too.

New York, NY (PRWEB) June 08, 2012

Weitz & Luxenberg, P.C. today announced successful settlements in the lawsuits of two clients who alleged that a lifetime of working with asbestos led to their developing mesothelioma, a rare cancer that attacks the lining of the lungs.

The settlement, consisting of an undisclosed payment said by the firm to be “substantial,” will benefit the families of Weitz & Luxenberg’s clients (Index # 116797-07, # 108982-02, Sup. Ct. NY).

Weitz & Luxenberg said the settlement came some time after both plaintiffs had already succumbed to lung cancer, with one man showing signs of pleural mesothelioma, a form of cancer closely associated with occupational inhalation of asbestos.

The two men, both longtime sheet metal workers, were also Navy veterans. Daniel Blouin, lead attorney on the cases, said that his firm has a rich tradition of assisting military veterans, but that these clients’ cases had proven challenging.

“Weitz & Luxenberg is able to provide such good representation to clients who were exposed to asbestos because we are among the best at identifying the compromised sites where they lived or worked. People who served in the Navy were often exposed to asbestos on certain ships or bases, but our clients had no fellow service people who could verify that.

“Our clients, however, also worked at construction sites, and we were eventually able to locate several coworkers who testified to our clients’ presence near people working with asbestos-insulated valves, boilers and gaskets, among other products. They would cut these products and scrape off debris with wire brushes, which, according to the coworkers’ testimony, would send clouds of asbestos into the air. A chain of exposure like this makes for a very strong case.”

The men’s cases settled in the final days of five-week trial, according to Blouin and co-counsel Matthew MacIntyre. The lone holdout defendant agreed to terms as a jury verdict approached.

The evidence included testimony from the men’s wives and a two-day cross-examination of a corporate officer.

Blouin, who works at Weitz & Luxenberg’s New York office in the asbestos litigation unit, said that the men’s cases meant something to him personally. “I am proud to help these families achieve some measure of relief. It means a great deal to me personally, with my father having been a sheet metal worker too."

“Protecting men and women who work in industrial settings should be the number one priority, but for those who have already been injured or exposed to asbestos, Weitz & Luxenberg can often help, and that means as much to me as to anyone.”

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