The family of Tom Firth, a 72-year old South Carolina resident who suffered from mesothelioma caused by asbestos exposure, was awarded $700,000 as a result of a verdict against Garlock Sealing Technology, LLC.
Firth’s only known asbestos exposure happened at Bethlehem Steel, Sparrows Point, in the 1950s, where he worked for less than a year. As a mechanic’s assistant on a battery of coke ovens, he worked with Garlock gaskets and packing on the pumps and valves associated with the coke ovens.
“While Garlock has admitted outside of the courtroom that their products can cause cancer, they refuse to do so in the courtroom. It was satisfying to hear the jury unanimously find that Garlock’s asbestos products were dangerous and that Garlock is responsible for this terrible loss to the Firth family,” said Chris Panatier, lead counsel for the Firth family.