On June 20, 2014, after a two-week trial, a Massachusetts federal jury awarded a $9.3 million dollar verdict on behalf of the estate of a longtime Thornton Law Firm client. The verdict was against asbestos manufacturer, T&N Limited, formerly known as Turner & Newall Limited. Following a two week trial, the jury found Turner & Newall liable for the 2010 death of John T. Lydon, Jr., a pipefitters’ union business manager who was exposed to Turner & Newall’s asbestos-containing Limpet spray insulation during the construction of the Prudential Tower in Boston, MA in the early 1960s. Turner & Newall marketed and sold the asbestos-containing Limpet spray insulation despite knowing that asbestos was hazardous.
As a result of his exposure to the Limpet as well as other asbestos-containing products, Mr. Lydon contracted peritoneal mesothelioma. He passed away from this disease in 2010 at the age of 84. The jury found that Turner & Newall had been negligent, meaning that it had breached its duty of reasonable care to Mr. Lydon, and the jury also found that Turner & Newall breached its implied warranty of merchantability in its manufacture and sale of the Limpet, meaning that Turner & Newall’s failure to warn of the dangers of its product made the product defective and unreasonably dangerous.
Following that finding, the jury found Turner & Newall liable for Mr. Lydon’s tragic disease and death, and awarded $3.1 million dollars in compensatory damages. The jury further awarded a $6.2 million dollar punitive award, finding that Turner & Newall was grossly negligent or acted willfully, wantonly and recklessly in marketing and selling its Limpet product.
The litigation against Turner & Newall is part of the effort of a particular asbestos injury trust (Federal Mogul) to access additional insurance assets of Turner & Newall in order to fully compensate victims like the Lydons.
The Boston asbestos attorneys at Thornton Law Firm have represented workers with mesothelioma in Massachusetts and throughout New England since 1978. We represent thousands of workers exposed to asbestos, so if you worked with asbestos in New England, Thornton Law Firm already represents the pipecoverers and pipefitters who can identify the asbestos products applied at your worksites. If you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma or another asbestos-related disease, tell us your story here or call our toll-free number 888-632-0108. Consultations are free and confidential.
