CALIFORNIA MESOTHELIOMA LAWSUIT WINS ON APPEAL
A California appeals court upholds $6.2M verdict in a mesothelioma lawsuit

California mesothelioma lawsuit verdict stands, despite vigorous appeal by defendant Georgia Pacific.

Weitz & Luxenberg has protected the legal rights of workers since 1986. And in that time the firm's mesothelioma lawyers have won several billion dollars in verdicts and settlements for clients injured by occupational asbestos exposure.

November 16, 2009 – A California appeals court has upheld the verdict in a mesothelioma lawsuit against Georgia Pacific, which resulted in a $6.2 million judgment for a woman who contracted asbestos-related cancer from her home remodeling business.

The decision affirms a verdict returned in March 2008 by a Superior Court jury in San Francisco in favor of Joan Mahoney.

Mahoney is a former actress and singer who toured several times with the USO, according to the San Francisco Chronicle at the time of the jury award. She alleged that she contracted mesothelioma due to asbestos exposure from products that included an asbestos compound made by Georgia Pacific to fill cracks in Sheetrock.

The California asbestos lawsuit resulted in a finding that Georgia Pacific Corp. was 30 percent responsible for Joan Mahoney’s asbestos-related mesothelioma cancer, and the company was ordered to pay $6.29 million of a $20-million verdict after adjusting for Georgia Pacific’s percentage of fault.

California mesothelioma lawsuit

Evidence was presented at the trial to establish that Georgia Pacific was aware of the health dangers posed by asbestos exposure, yet continued to make the compound until the federal government banned asbestos in the late 1970s.

Mesothelioma is caused by occupational asbestos exposure, and it is often not diagnosed until several decades after the exposure. As a result of mesothelioma's very long latency period, the cancer is usually advanced by the time it is diagnosed. There is no cure for mesothelioma.

Asbestos in the Golden State

California and Los Angeles record more asbestos-related deaths than any state or city in the country, according to a study by the EWG Action Fund, a non-profit environmental research group headquartered in Washington, D.C.

California has 12 counties on the organization’s list of the Top 100 Counties in the United States recording deaths due to asbestos – a dire statistic matched only by Florida and New Jersey.

Time to seek justice

If you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma and seek a free case review, please notify us through the communication form on this page. We will pursue your claim with vigilance to help you pay for medical bills, lost wages, and suffering.

Please know, the firm works on a contingency basis so there is no cost to you until we obtain a verdict or reach a settlement in your favor.