June 27 , 2006

The widow of a former contract employee at an ExxonMobil plant who died after developing an asbestos-related disease was awarded $5 million for her losses.

The jury ruled that Exxon was solely liable for neglecting to protect its contract workers from the dangers of asbestos exposure. James Terrance developed mesotheliomacancer of the lining of the heart, lung, and abdominal cavity that has been linked to exposure to high levels of asbestos.

Terrance worked in the companys Baton Rouge plant in the 1960s, where he was hired as a contract worker to chip asbestos-containing paint from pipes at the plant.

The lawsuit claimed that Exxon was aware of the hazards associated with asbestos exposure, but failed to take the proper precautions with contract workers.

Exxon knew about all the dangers since the 1930s and protects its own employees from those dangers, said plaintiff attorney Lewis Unglesby, who maintains that Exxon contract workers were often dangerously exposed.

Of the jurys verdict, Unglesby said, were very gratified.

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