$8.4 Million Jury Verdict for Mechanic Exposed to Asbestos

Alfred Bennett and his wife filed a lawsuit against Ford Motor Co. on behalf of Alfred who had been a mechanic there. He claimed he was exposed to asbestos in handling auto parts. This case was tried in the City of St. Louis, 22^nd Judicial Circuit. The jury’s verdict of Aug. 30, 2019 was for $5.725 million in actual damages to Alfred and $708,000 to his wife and $2 million in punitive damages.

Bennett was a mechanic at Ford, Mercury and Lincoln dealerships from the 1960s until the 1980s.

During those decades, he came into regular contact with brakes, gaskets, clutches and original equipment manufacturer replacement parts, which allegedly exposed him to asbestos.

Bennett was diagnosed in June 2018 with pleural mesothelioma in his right lung, according to attorney Jason Steinmeyer of The Gori Law Firm of Edwardsville, Ill., who represented Bennett is this lawsuit.

The aggressive lung cancer can take from 10-50 years to develop after exposure to asbestos fibers.

Additionally, Bennett was represented by attorney Chris Layloff, also of The Gori Law Firm.

According to the report of this case in the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin, Steinmeyer said that the defense argued that exposure to brake dust does not cause mesothelioma. The plaintiffs contested that argument by demonstrating that the brakes were not the only parts Bennett worked on.

Bennett is now 81 years old and is retired although he continues to receive medical treatment for this lung disease.

Alfred Bennett, et al. v. Ford Motor Co., et al., No. 1822-CC10744 (Missouri 22^nd Judicial Circuit Court).

Kreisman Law Offices has been handling catastrophic injury lawsuits, chemical exposure lawsuits, diesel fume exposure lawsuits, construction site injury cases and wrongful death cases for individuals, families and loved ones who have been injured, harmed or killed by the carelessness or negligence of another for more than 40 years in and around Chicago, Cook County and its surrounding areas, including Hoffman Estates, Lake Zurich, Lake Barrington, Mundelein, Vernon Hills, Grayslake, Gurnee, Cary, North Chicago, Lake Bluff, Highwood, Lincolnwood, Glencoe, Winnetka, Mount Prospect, Schaumburg, Chicago (Logan Square, Lakeview, Edgewater, Hyde Park, Back of the Yards, Heart of Chicago, North Lawndale, Little Italy, Near West Side, Humboldt Park, Old Town, Bucktown, Austin, Homan Square, Illinois Medical District, Brighton Park, Bronzeville), Stickney, Forestview, LaGrange, Brookfield, Aurora, St. Charles, Joliet and Bolingbrook, Ill.

Robert D. Kreisman has been an active member of the Illinois and Missouri bars since 1976.