The United States Supreme Court announced on Monday, March 26 that they will not hear Crane Co.’s appeal of the Missouri appellate courts’ decision to uphold the original $11.5 million jury verdict in favor of Jeanette Poage, whose husband died in 2012 from mesothelioma contracted after he was exposed to asbestos while working on a World War II-era ship in the 1950’s.
Missouri Court of Appeals judges wrote in their decision that,
“In the present case, Mr. Poage suffered more than mere economic damages. Mesothelioma is a gruesome disease. Dr. Pantaleoni explained the effects it has on one's body: “[Y]ou can have your lungs compressed so you suffocate and die, it can choke off your stomach so that you starve to death or it can choke off your throat so you can't eat and you die.” Moreover, detecting the disease is very difficult. Dr. Arnold Brody testified that the duration of time between an individual's exposure to asbestos until symptoms of mesothelioma occurring usually spans “20 to 80 years,” but most cases involved a latency period of “30 to 50 years” or “40 to 50 years.” In Mr. Poage's case, he left the Navy in 1958, and he was not diagnosed with mesothelioma until September of 2011. The time between the inhalation of the asbestos dust and its manifestation of physical symptoms makes it much more difficult to detect the “harm.””
At Bailey Cowan Heckaman PLLC, our mesothelioma lawyers are committed to fighting for the rights of injured victims and their families, and will not stop fighting until we secure the legal outcome you need. Call us to speak with a member of our firm today, or send us your information through our online form to schedule a free consultation. You deserve representation that understands what it takes to win at the highest levels – we have the track record you can count on.
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