A jury in Los Angeles County Superior Court this week was unanimous in finding that Union Carbide Corp. acted with malice in the asbestos-related death of a 45-year-old janitor and awarded his family $107 million. The jury also found Elementis Chemicals and E.F. Brady Co. Inc. negligent.
Joel Hernandezcueva of Long Beach, a father of four young children, died in 2014 from pleural mesothelioma, a terminal cancer his treating physicians testified is caused only by asbestos exposure.
Mr. Hernandezcueva worked as a janitor at Park Place complex in Irvine, Calif., where wall compound with Union Carbide’s asbestos was part of the construction. During renovations, Mr. Hernandezcueva was called on to clean up dust and was exposed to asbestos fibers.
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