This blog has repeated written about the hazard posed by asbestos in 19th and early 20th century buildings in North Carolina and elsewhere. Many reports of asbestos-containing products in historic buildings emerge when a building is slated for demolition or extensive renovation. A similar report has now been made about one of the most iconic buildings in the nation's national park system, the Old Faithful Inn in Yellowstone National Park.
Gasket manufacturers agree to $480 million settlement
One of the most intensely-litigated asbestos cases in North Carolina in the last few years has involved the Garlock Sealing Technologies. The case may now be nearing an end because Garlock's parent company, EnPro Industries, Inc., a Charlotte-based manufacturing conglomerate, has agreed to pay $480 million to establish a trust to pay all present and future claims based on exposure to asbestos-containing products manufactured by Garlock.
Appellate court affirms asbestos damage award against Kaiser
Most asbestos cases are settled by agreement of the parties before trial, but occasionally, a case not only is tried to a verdict but is subjected to review by an appellate court. In a recent decision that should provide encouragement to asbestos plaintiffs in North Carolina (and in California, where the case arose), an appellate court affirmed a jury verdict asbestos product exposure against Kaiser Gypsum Company for more than $5 million in combined compensatory and punitive damages.
Factory owner admits exposing workers to asbestos
This blog has written repeatedly about the danger posed by asbestos in old buildings in North Carolina and elsewhere. It is tempting to assume that any asbestos product exposure in these buildings is inadvertent, the result of ignorance or carelessness. A recent plea agreement in federal court shows that this assumption is not always correct.
Abandoned flour mill poses asbestos hazard for neighborhood
Most persons in North Carolina easily associate certain dustries with the hazard of asbestos exposure. The wide-spread use of asbestos as an insulating material in dustrial buildings is common knowledge. So is the use of asbestos fibers for automotive brakes and clutches. But flour milling? This industry would appear at first glance to be among the least likely sources of asbestos fibers, but an abandoned flour mill in southern Illinois has become the center of an increasing controversy solely because it contains a great many asbestos-containing products.
