In a landmark mesothelioma lawsuit, a San Francisco jury awarded more than $2 million to families of workers who died because of asbestos related mesothelioma cancer. The deceased, Robert Grahn and Claude Reilly had worked as refractory brick mason and electrician, respectively. Both the persons died of mesothelioma cancer. They contacted mesothelioma cancer because of their occupational exposure to asbestos.

Asbestos exposure is a grave occupational hazard. Inhalation of asbestos particles could lead to serious mesothelioma cancers like malignant mesothelioma and pleural mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is a rare yet lethal cancer of the lining of the lungs and abdomen. There is no treatment for mesothelioma cancer patients. A patient suffering from mesothelioma cancer survives for not more than 12-24 months.

The defendants in mesothelioma lawsuit of Robert Grahn were Exxon Corporation and Dillingham Construction N.A., a construction company. The defendant in Claude Reilly case was Cutler Hammer Corporation, a company that manufactures electrical control units. Cutler Hammer is a subsidiary of Eaton Corporation and has a long history of making asbestos contaminated electrical components.

Robert Grahn was a refractory brick mason and worked with many refineries in the Bay area, including Exxon and Shell from 1955 to 1984. During 1968 to 1972, he was working with Benicia Refinery of Exxon and was working for Dillingham Construction at Shell refinery at Martinez from 1970 to 1984, where he was negligently exposed to asbestos. Claude Reilly was a career electrician working in Indiana and Bay Area industrial facilities from 1945 to 1979. From 1950 to 1964 Reilly used Cutler Hammer products, which were responsible for unwanted asbestos exposure.    

In both lawsuits, mesothelioma attorneys proved that the defendants were responsible for negligence and occupational asbestos exposure to the deceased. The jury found that Exxon Corporation, Dillingham Construction and Cutler Hammer were responsible for occupational asbestos exposure to the deceased that was responsible for their disease and subsequent death. The jury awarded more than $2 million in compensation to the families of the deceased.