Union Carbide, one of the companies ordered to pay a Mississippi man $322 million for asbestos exposure has requested the courts throw out settlement.
Union Carbide was ordered by to pay a portion of the $322 million settlement to Thomas Brown. Brown was exposed to asbestos while working in oil fields and contracted asbestosis. The presiding judge ruled that Union Carbide was negligent in using asbestos which is known to have detrimental effects to human health.
The lawyers representing Union Carbide want to have the judge removed from the case because of conflict of interest. The Judge Eddie Bowen’s father and mother settled an asbestos case with Union Carbide while he was an attorney.
Brown states the judge handled both side of the case fairly, but Union Carbide disputes the judge’s impartiality. The verdict amount was awarded by a jury. Mesothelioma attorneys often get large settlements for their clients based on the detrimental effects asbestos has on people who work with the mineral.
Health officials agree that asbestos is hazardous, and can cause a variety of lung diseases if inhaled. Mesothelioma is a particularly aggressive type of lung cancer for which there is no cure. Treatment for this type of cancer is costly. Mesothelioma lawyers fight to get victims of asbestos cancer the funds necessary for their treatment and the pain and suffering they endure. Asbestos is still used in many industries so future victims of exposure will need the help of mesothelioma attorneys to seek compensation.
