Rhoda and Bobby Evans' $200M punitive damage award yesterday against asbestos pipe manufacturer CertainTeed may be a record for a single-plaintiff mesothelioma trial.
Perhaps the high award was motivated by a humble or sympathetic plaintiff, or perhaps by CertainTeed's aggressive defense, which attempted to place the blame for Rhoda Evans' mesothelioma entirely on Bobby Evans' employer, the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power.
CertainTeed is a wholly owned subsidiary of Compagnie de Saint-Gobain SA of France. Saint-Gobain had 2009 revenue in excess of 37 billion euros.
According to the plaintiff's attorney, Bill Levin, of Levin, Simes, Kaiser & Gornick LLP,
"CertainTeed was fully aware that its products contained cancer causing asbestos, but chose not to warn about the risk for decades. It is our hope that the damages awarded will relieve some of Rhoda's suffering, as well as the burden of her medical expenses so that her life will be prolonged and she can continue to care and provide for her young granddaughter, who was orphaned only a few short years ago...We also hope that the punitive damage award will serve to make the community safer by making product manufacturers think twice before concealing dangerous characteristics of their products."