Asbestos has been a known health hazard since the 1920s. During the early years, claims by individuals who suffered the affects of asbestos were settled privately, but by the 1970s a number of major cases came before the court for asbestos compensation of injuries sustained. The two most important cases were decided in the late 90s and set a precedent for future cases brought against the industry.

1.    Anchem Products vs. George Windsor occurred in 1997. The case sought to define limited liability for the companies that were responsible for the manufacturing of asbestos. If the companies had won, future lawsuits would have awarded little or no claim monies to those who sustained lung cancer and other maladies because of exposure to asbestos. The claim was rejected and defendants were granted continued ability to sue for damages.

2.    Ortiz vs. Fibreboard Corp. was decided in 1999. Similar to the Windsor case, asbestos developers hoped to limit their liability against lawsuits. Again, they were denied protection, because there was still deemed too many future cases where sufferers would need compensation.

Many cases during and after this period depended on the justice system to provide for defendants. Many well-known cases have won large sums of money for people who developed lung cancer because of their work with asbestos.

3.    1929 was the year of the first lawsuit. In the settlement, the attorneys agreed to pursue no further claims.

4.    June Hancock of Leeds England died of mesothelioma (asbestos related lung cancer) in 1997. Before her death, she sued and won her claim in England.

5.    Celotex Corp. vs. Catrett was a major case in 1980 in which a widow claimed that her deceased husband had died of mesothelioma related injuries. Her case was initially denied by the district court before being overturned by the court of appeals and finally overturned and remanded by the Supreme Court. Catrett did not provide enough evidence to be awarded for her claim.

6.    In 2009 Angus Douglas brought suit for lung cancer developed from years of cutting asbestos insulation. A settlement for an undefined amount was offered and Douglas’s case was dropped.

7.    Willmore vs. Knowsley Metropolitan was heard in 2009 in London. The company appealed after Willmore was awarded a settlement and lost. Willmore’s case was sustained and the cases again began to rise in England.

8.    In 2010 the Mississippi Supreme Court held the ruling that Lonnie Pittman’s asbestos suit was wrongly filed and sustained its dismissal. Their ruling set future precedents in the litigation of companies for these types of claims.

9.    Virginia courts upheld a 3.8 million dollar suit against Jon Crane. The suit was filed by a number of workers who suffered from mesothelioma related injuries. The ruling revived suits in a number of states where cases were beginning to taper off.

10.    In 2009 Minnesota appellate courts upheld a 4.6 million dollar verdict against John Crane, who has not settled a court case yet, and is quickly becoming the most notorious fighter in the asbestos era.

Arguably, there are more rulings that have notable precedent on the field of mesothelioma and judicial action, though often out of court settlements are accepted before these cases are heard. When cases are heard, there is still no known verdict. Each case is heard based on its merits and in most cases, companies only allow suit to go to court if their lawyers see a likely positive verdict. Because of that, any case won in court is a victory for the people.

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