ASBESTOS CEILING TILE
Mesothelioma patient passes away following asbestos lawsuit win

This case marks the first time an asbestos exposure lawsuit has ruled in favor of a student in England, prompting Member of Parliament Paul Rowan to say the plaintiff’s case “has helped every member of staff and pupil who has been, or will be, exposed to asbestos in a school.” Asbestos exposure reportedly occurred in the school through ceiling tiles located in the students’ restrooms.

DANGERS OF ASBESTOS CEILING TILE

October 21, 2009 - Mesothelioma patient Dianne Willmore, once a student at Huyton’s Bowring School in Merseyside, England, was awarded more than $390,000 on October 14 when Knowsley Council was found liable for exposing Willmore to asbestos, a toxic mineral known to cause her cancer.

Willmore passed away the following day on October 15, 2009.

According to the lawsuit, Willmore's asbestos exposure occurred in the 1970s during her time as a student at Huyton’s Bowring School in Merseyside, England.

Asbestos exposure occurred in the school through ceiling tiles located in the restrooms. The tiles released asbestos fibers when they were disturbed by students who would playfully hide items in the ceiling.

Knowsley Council was found liable for her exposure because the High Court determined the Council “knew or ought to have known that any more than minimal exposure to asbestos dust was foreseeably hazardous.”

Asbestos in bathroom ceiling tile

Willmore’s mesothelioma diagnosis occurred in 2007, decades after her initial exposure. Once microscopic asbestos fibers are disturbed and become airborne (as in this case with the asbestos school tiles), asbestos fibers can easily be inhaled into the lungs where they will fester for decades before mesothelioma symptoms appear. By then it is usually too late for a cure.

Some 3,000 people die every year in the United States from mesothelioma.

The long latency period associated with the cancer can make mesothelioma treatment difficult. By the time a diagnosis occurs, the cancer has usually spread beyond hope. Treatment options can include chemotherapy, radiation and surgery, depending on what stage doctors find the cancer to be in.

Though Willmore tragically passed away one day after the judge ruled in her favor, her lawyer was able to inform her of the victory. “I managed to contact her last night to tell her the good news, she was delighted. Obviously she was having problems speaking because breathing had become so hard for her,” said her lawyer.

Time to seek justice

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

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 win a settlement or a verdict.