April 12th, 2007

The widow of a man that died from an asbestos related disease has been awarded $5.5 million in compensation by a jury in Virginia. Kay Oney had been married to her husband, Vaughn, for over forty years. He was a former shipyard worker and had helped to build navy aircraft carriers.

Mr. Oney is thought to have been exposed to asbestos, sometimes on a daily basis, between 1963 and 1973. He retired in his fifties in 1994, but ten years later was diagnosed with the deadly form of asbestos related cancer, mesothelioma. Mr. Oney, from Newport News, then died in November as a result of the cancer.

The two defendants that were named as being liable to pay damages were John Crane Inc. and Garlock Sealing Technologies, both providers of materials to the shipyard industry – material that often contained asbestos, which was the cause of Oney's exposure. Garlock is said to have settled out of court for an undisclosed sum, and John Crane has been ordered to pay the five and a half million, although it is thought that the company will appeal against this.

A lawyer for the plaintiff stated: "He needed an incredible amount of narcotics to endure the pain every day. The last six weeks of his life, he was in horrific condition.'' He also added: "The asbestos industry knew that asbestos fibers could kill you. They knew how to prevent it, they knew how to test for it, they knew how to educate and they knew how to warn — but that was not in their financial interest.''