$83 Million Verdict on Behalf of Mesothelioma Client against American Art Clay Company (AMACO)
Last week, a Boston jury returned an $83 million verdict in a mesothelioma lawsuit against the American Art Clay Company (AMACO). The case was brought by Belluck Law, an experienced mesothelioma litigation firm, on behalf of the Estate of Judith Lapointe, who passed away just two months following her mesothelioma diagnosis.
The jury awarded $60 million in punitive damages, due to the American Art Clay Company’s reckless conduct, which it found to be “malicious” and “willful.” It also awarded $10 million for Ms. Lapointe’s pain and suffering, and $13 million for her husband Michael Lapointe’s loss of consortium. Evidence showed that AMACO knew that their product contained asbestos and that asbestos exposure carried serious health risks as early as the 1960s but failed to take action or warn users of its products’ dangerous properties.
While Judith never got to testify in this case, Mr. Lapointe, her husband of 56 years described her decades of work in her family’s ceramic studio in the basement of their Greenfield, Massachusetts home from the 1950’s through the mid 1980’s. He explained how she sanded the dried clay slip product (on application, it was liquid) manufactured by AMACO, that was used to make beginner style ceramic cups and plates. However, those ceramic slip products contained asbestos-laden talc. Asbestos, when inhaled or ingested, is a dangerous carcinogen known to cause the development of mesothelioma, lung cancer, ovarian cancer, and other malignancies.
Mesothelioma is a particularly deadly cancer that most frequently develops in the lining of the lung but can also develop on the lining of the peritoneal cavity as well as other organs. Due to limited treatment options coupled with the aggressive nature of the disease, the median life expectancy is only about 12 months with treatment. Many patients, including Ms. Lapointe never reach that milestone. Ninety percent of mesothelioma patients die within 5 years of diagnosis. Exposure to asbestos is the only known cause of mesothelioma and no amount of asbestos exposure is deemed safe.
This case was tried in conjunction with Iola, Gross & Forbes-King and the Law Offices of Michael P. Joyce.
Only two weeks before, Belluck Law and Iola Gross obtained a $12.25 verdict against Vanderbilt Mining LLC, the largest verdict in Upstate New York.
About Belluck Law, LLP
Belluck Law, LLP is headquartered at 546 Fifth Ave, 5th Fl, New York, NY 10036 with offices across the state of New York in Albany, Rochester, Woodstock, Gloversville and offices in Maine, Massachusetts, and New Jersey. The firm has recovered over $1 billion in compensation on behalf of its clients. The firm’s attorneys have been recognized by Best Lawyers, Best Law Firms, SuperLawyers, Martindale Hubbell and other peer and third-party attorney evaluators.
The Belluck Law firm is committed to the communities it serves by supporting charitable causes across the U.S. The firm is a major donor to the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation through which it helps fund peer-reviewed mesothelioma research; helps pay for patient support services; and helps provide education to patients about treatment options. More information about the firm can be found at www.bellucklaw.com.
