The family of a former Illinois man were disappointed this week after an sbestos lawsuit failed to provide them with the compensation they had hoped for. After a three-week trial, the jury decided in favor of the defendants.

The family of Robert C. Scott sued Honeywell International and Pneumo Abex, claiming that Scott had come into contact with asbestos-containing products manufactured by the companies during the course of his employment. Robert C. Scott worked for thirty years as a maintenance supervisor at Passavant Area Hospital, where the lawsuit claimed he was exposed to asbestos.

However, despite the family’s claims, the lawsuit was unsuccessful. The lawsuit which had asked for $1.5 million in damages was decided in favor of the defendants, and the family received no compensation for Robert C. Scott’s death.

Scott died from lung cancer, a disease which is known to be caused by asbestos exposure. However, since lung cancer can develop in response to other carcinogens—such as cigarette smoke—it can be difficult to pin down the exact cause in a case where asbestos is a risk factor.

In this case, the issue was confused by the fact that Scott had once been a heavy smoker, although he had quit a few years before his death in 2004.

The central issue in the trial itself, therefore, was whether Robert C. Scott’s lung cancer was a result of cigarette smoking only, or could have developed due to a combination of smoking and exposure to asbestos.

According to testimony given during the trial, Scott had never been diagnosed with asbestosis or any other lung diseases known to be caused by asbestos. In addition, tissue samples which had been taken and analyzed after Scott’s death showed no signs that he had developed asbestosis.

People with asbestosis develop obvious lung disease: the asbestos exposure causes the development of scar tissue known as pleural plaques, due to the chronic irritation and inflammation which asbestos causes.

Without this characteristic symptom of asbestos exposure evident in the samples from Scott’s lungs, the jury found it impossible to say that his lung cancer had even partially been caused by exposure to asbestos.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 8th, 2008 at 3:53 pm and is filed under Asbestos Litigation, Illinois, Mesothelioma Treatment. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS feed. Responses are currently closed, but you trackback from your own site.