HACKENSACK, New Jersey - On February 27, a New Jersey jury awarded what is believed to be New Jersey’s largest ever mesothelioma verdict. The widow and three daughters of Mark Buttittta will receive $30.3 million from General Motors and other defendants.

The case is notable for another reason as well - Buttitta, only 50 years old, believed that his mesothelioma was caused by exposure to so-called second-hand asbestos, carried home on work clothes worn by his father and brothers. Buttistta, Sr. and his sons were employed at GM parts warehouses in Bloomfield and Englewood. Buttistta worked in the warehouses during the summers when he was in school.

Buttitta was born and raised in Bloomfield, and was widely regarded as a “rising star” in the advertising profession. His clients included Coca Cola and Continental and Northwest Airlines. He died of mesothelioma a few days after his 50th birthday, shortly before Christmas.

The suit alleges that his father, Frank Buttitta, Sr., and his brother, Frank Jr., brought home deadly asbestos fibers on their work clothes. A number of recent suits allege that various companies that worked with asbestos were aware of the dangers of take-home asbestos, but did not warn employees, nor provide them or require them to observe precautions to prevent the transfer of asbestos fibers from home to work. There are many cases of wives and daughters, who took responsibility for laundering dust-encrusted work clothes from factories and construction sites, later developing mesothelioma or asbestosis because of their inhalation of asbestos.

Buttitta’s father worked for GM all his life, according to Buttitta’s attorney. He handled brakes and clutches made with asbestos during the course of his work. In addition, both Mark and his brother Frank worked as parts pickers at the facility during college vacations. The suit alleges that all three Buttittas would wear the same work clothes for several days at a time, bringing home asbestos fibers from work and letting them loose in their home. Buttitta’s lawyer painted the picture of a Mark as a small boy, sitting on his father’s lap or next to him to watch television, breathing in asbestos from his dusty work clothing.

Buttitta was diagnosed with mesothelioma in 2001, and died a year later. In 2003, his family established the Mark Buttitta Memorial Foundation for Research for the prevention, treatment and cure of mesothelioma. According to the home page of the foundation’s web site, “Mark did not fit the typical profile” of those who develop mesothelioma and other asbestos related diseases.

Buttitta’s lawyer stated that Mark’s case shows that blue-collar workers from the automotive, construction and other industries are not the only victims of mesothelioma. “all across New Jersey, men and women who wouldn’t know a brake shoe from a horseshoe can be struck down by this horrible disease decades later simply living with someone who contacted asbestos in their daily occupation.”

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 6th, 2008 at 5:35 pm and is filed under Asbestos Exposure, Asbestos Litigation, Jobsite Exposure, New Jersey. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS feed. Responses are currently closed, but you trackback from your own site.