A jury in Alleghany County, Pennsylvania awarded the family of the late Alphonse Tripoli $7 million dollars in damages last week after a brief trial. The lawyer representing Tripoli’s family, Rick Nemeroff, told reporters that Koppers, Inc., which owned the Grant Building in Pittsburgh were Tripoli worked as a union contractor for about seven years, knew about the dangerous asbestos inside the building, but kept this information from its workers. “Koppers failed to warn him or anybody what they knew,” said Nemeroff. “They knew, and I guess they just didn’t care.”
Tripoli was most likely exposed to asbestos between 1968 and 1975 and was diagnosed with mesothelioma in June of 2006. Tripoli passed away on January 20, 2006, less than six months following his diagnosis. Tripoli’s surviving wife, Nancy, and their son, Jeffrey, filed a wrongful death suit upon Tripoli’s death.
According to Nemeroff, Koppers, Inc., Dravo Corporation, and Fisher Scientific, which were all housed in the asbestos-laden Grant Building, are liable for Tripoli’s death. Koppers, Inc. was found to be liable for 40% of damages, while Dravo Corp. and Fisher Scientific were responsible for approximately 10% each. Several other defendant companies, which were not named in the judgement, will be accountable for the remaining damages.
In 2006, a separate trial in the same county deemed that Koppers, Inc. [now owned by Beazer East] did in fact hide facts related to asbestos in the Grant Building dating back to 1918, establishing precedence for the Tripoli family’s suit.
Mesothelioma is a deadly cancer caused by asbestos exposure that may lie latent for upward of 50 years. The survival rate for mesothelioma victims is less than 1%, with the majority of individuals passing away less than one year after their diagnosis. Mesothelioma has no known cure, but there are various treatment options available.
The Mesothelioma and Asbestos Awareness Center recognizes the jury in the Tripoli case for their decision on behalf of the victim’s family and commends Alleghany County Court for their efforts to serve justice to negligent corporations.
The Mesothelioma and Asbestos Awareness Center is the web’s leading resource for information related to mesothelioma, mesothelioma treatment options, and content related to asbestos exposure. Please visit the Mesothelioma and Asbestos Awareness Center website for additional information.
