Family of Retired Sailor Gets $1.2 million Mesothelioma Award
Wednesday, June 17th, 2009The family of a retired Navy sailor who died in late April of mesothelioma caused by breathing asbestos fibers on the job decades ago won a $1.2 million award Monday against an Illinois-based manufacturer.
Gerald Gray, who lived in Hampton Roads, Virginia, was once the second highest ranking enlisted man in the Navy and later taught school before his death at age 75 after a 16-month struggle with mesothelioma, according to the Newport News Daily Press.
A Virginia Circuit Court jury rendered a verdict against five manufacturers for a total of $4 million in Gray’s case. Before the trial, all the defendant companies settled out of court for an undisclosed amount except Illinois manufacturer John Crane Inc., which made gaskets and parts used on ships. The jury apportioned 30 percent of the blame to John Crane Inc.
