$13.5 Million Awarded to Family in Asbestos Case

June 12, 2006
The family of a Texas man who died from asbestos exposure, was awarded $13.5 million in an asbestos case against Georgia-Pacific Corp.

According to the lawsuit, Timothy Shawn Bostic was regularly exposed to hazardous asbestos fibers as a child when working with his dad in the 1960s and 70s. Bostic frequently worked with a joint compound made by Georgia-Pacific, which contained high levels of asbestos.

The plaintiffs attorney alleged that Georgia-Pacific knew of the harm associated with asbestos exposure as early as 1966, but continued to manufacture and sell the asbestos-containing product for the next decade.

In 2003, Bostic was diagnosed with mesothelioma, a fatal cancer of the lining of the lung, abdomen, and chest cavity. Mesothelioma is almost exclusively linked to asbestos exposure. Bostic died in 2003 at the age of 41.

According to Georgia-Pacific spokesman James Malone, the company believes that Bostics illness resulted from exposure to asbestos from other products, not the Georgia-Pacific joint compound.

The Dallas jury, however, decided against Georgia-Pacific ruling that the company acted negligently and failed to warn the public of the hazards caused by asbestos exposure.

Bostics family was awarded $7.55 million in monetary compensation and $6 million in punitive damages.

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