The $7 million settlement awarded to the wife of a New Jersey worker who developed mesothelioma as a result of laundering her husband’s asbestos-laden clothing has been upheld by a New Jersey Appellate Court this week.

Her husband was an employee for Exxon at one of their refineries in Linden, NJ. While there, he was exposed to asbestos when removing insulation from piping. Although the company equipped the workers with helmets, it did not provide respirators, which would have protected against the asbestos.

This case is reminiscent of the first successful legal action taken against a company for irresponsible exposure to asbestos. In 1981, also in New Jersey, a woman sued the Union Asbestos and Rubber Company for her mesothelioma, which she developed after washing her husband’s clothes.

The court rejected Exxon’s counter-claim that the woman (also an ex-Exxon employee) should have been required to seek benefits under workers’ compensation.

If you or someone you love is seeking workers’ compensation, contact the Des Moines workers’ compensation attorneys of LaMarca & Landry, P.C. at 877-327-2600 to learn more about your rights.