Former Navy Valve Specialist Settles Mesothelioma Claims for $3.2 Million, Announces Baron & Budd, P.C.

HAYWARD, Calif., Feb. 24 /PRNewswire/ -- The law firm of Baron & Budd, P.C. has negotiated total settlements of $3.2 million on behalf of a former navy man and his wife. He was exposed to asbestos in the boiler rooms of two naval destroyers - the USS Rupertus and the USS Hooper - and developed malignant mesothelioma.

This former serviceman specialized in repairing the hundreds of valves that were sold to the Navy for use aboard these ships. These steam valves contained asbestos packing and gaskets. To repair the valves, the asbestos-containing gaskets and packing had to be scraped out, which released asbestos fibers into the air, ultimately causing this serviceman to develop asbestos cancer.

The manufacturers who put asbestos on these ships - without warning the servicemen who would work, live and sleep surrounded by it - argued that they should not be liable for the harm they caused because they obtained governmental contracts to supply asbestos-containing products for use aboard Navy ships and submarines. Baron & Budd attorneys presented evidence that the valve manufacturers designed their valves to use asbestos packing and gaskets regardless of whether they were selling them to the government or to chemical refineries. No matter who the valve manufacturers sold their valves to, they provided no warnings about the danger of asbestos components of the valves.

Asbestos manufacturers have a long history of hiding their knowledge of risks from the public and the government. Manufacturers cannot push the blame on to the government for their failure to warn servicemen of the danger they faced, and Baron & Budd does not attempt to sue the U.S. Navy or the federal government in asbestos cases like this one.

"It is an honor for Baron & Budd to advocate for this serviceman and his family," says the law firm's managing shareholder Russell Budd. "The sacrifices that come with serving our country should never have included asbestos exposure and its horrific consequences."

Baron & Budd attorneys John Langdoc and Jeff Whitfield represented the family. "It was great to have Jeff onboard for this case. Jeff spent more than a decade in uniform and was instrumental in combating the asbestos companies' attempts to blame our government for the products the asbestos companies profited from," says lead trial attorney John Langdoc. Mr. Whitfield, a former Air Force Captain with a passion for representing injured veterans, was a Fulbright Scholar and Rotary World Peace Fellow prior to joining Baron & Budd.

About Baron & Budd, P.C.

For more than 30 years, the law firm of Baron & Budd, P.C. has championed the rights of people and communities harmed by corporate misconduct. With approximately 50 attorneys and offices in California, Texas and Louisiana, Baron & Budd enjoys a national reputation as a leader of the plaintiffs' bar, having been repeatedly recognized by the NLJ's Plaintiffs' Hot List. The firm represents individuals with mesothelioma and other diseases caused by exposure to asbestos and other toxic substances; water authorities seeking clean-up costs for drinking water contamination; government entities and whistleblowers fighting corporate fraud through Qui Tam and False Claims Act cases; securities investors defrauded by corporate wrongdoing; and consumers in class actions and insurance coverage litigation.

    Contact:  Susan Jones Knape
    214/629-0596
    sknape@baronbudd.com