Jury Awards $17M in Compensation for Asbestos-Related Disease

A jury in the 11th Judicial Circuit of Florida handed down a hefty $17 million in compensation for asbestos-related disease after a trial against construction products distributor and manufacturer Georgia-Pacific. The plaintiff was a former painting supervisor named Roy Taylor who worked on a project in Saudi Arabia in the late ‘70s. While there, he was responsible for sanding down wall surfaces to prepare for painting.

Much of the sanding work required going over a Georgia-Pacific joint compound product, which was known by the company to contain significant amounts of asbestos. The subsequent white dust would cover Taylor’s uniform, creating a vector for long-term exposure to the asbestos chemicals.

Taylor was diagnosed with asbestos-related cancer some 40 years later. During trial,his physician testified that Taylor had as little as a year to live because of the aggressive nature of his disease.

The total jury award included $13 million in compensation for asbestos-related disease to Taylor as well as $4 million to his wife Suzanne as damages for emotional suffering and future loss of companionship.

Two Defendants Become One in Battle of Compensation for Asbestos-Related Disease

Initially in the trial, Union Carbide — the manufacturer of the asbestos derivatives Georgia-Pacific used in its product — was considered a co-defendant. However, the jury cleared Union Carbide of all liability, likely during deliberations.

Taylor’s head attorney was unsurprised at Union Carbide’s clearing from potential liability. “If [Georgia-Pacific] didn’t buy it from Union Carbide, they would have bought it from someone else,” he asserted.

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