1979 – The first writs for negligence related to the presence of asbestos in the town of Wittenoom, Western Australia, are issued against CSR and its ABA subsidiary, and the Asbestos Disease Society is established to represent the Wittenoom victims.

1994 – Two cases involving individuals exposed to asbestos while living near the Midland Works asbestos factory, part of the Turner & Newall group, in Leeds, England are heard as one. One case involves a man who lived almost his entire life on the same property approximately 200 yards away from Midland Works, and died in 1991 from mesothelioma. The other case involves a woman who had also grown up next to Midland Works, and was diagnosed with mesothelioma in 1993, dying in 1997, following the mesothelioma-related death of her mother in 1982. A third plaintiff died from mesothelioma in 1993, but had no surviving family members to continue his action against T&N after his death. At this time, 12 additional victims seeking compensation from T&N had also died before their cases reached court. The judge finds for the plaintiffs and rules that the defendant was liable on the grounds that it knew about the risks of asbestos dust as early as 1933.

1998 – With 263,000 injury claims pending against the company, T&N is acquired by a multinational auto-parts conglomerate, which claims that it will “set up a reserve for approximately $2.1 billion to handle the estimated asbestos liability post-acquisition.” Instead, the company lobbies Congress for a legislative solution to its asbestos “issues,” seeking a government bailout.

November 2004 – Law firms representing 50 claimants from neighborhoods surrounding the Midland Works asbestos factory in Leeds, England secure payment for their clients. All 50 claimants have already died by the time the payments are made.

November 2009 – A woman who developed mesothelioma after washing the clothes of her grandfather, an insulation worker, is awarded $20 million by a Baltimore City jury.

May 2010 – A construction worker is awarded $14 million in a mesothelioma lawsuit filed against Union Carbide, over his exposure to the chemical manufacturer’s asbestos-containing joint compounds. 

May 2011 – A California jury awards more than $41 million in damages to a retired plumber diagnosed with mesothelioma after working with joint compounds and wallboards that contained asbestos.

August 2011 – A former boiler tender for the U.S. Navy is awarded $32 million in a lawsuit filed against several companies who supplied asbestos-containing parts for the ships he worked on prior to developing mesothelioma.  

November 2011 – A $10 million settlement is reached in a lawsuit filed by the family of a long-time Missouri courthouse worker who died from mesothelioma after being exposed to asbestos on the job.

January 2012 – The widow of a deceased chemical company worker is awarded $8.4 million in damages for her husband’s mesothelioma death.

June 2012 – A verdict of $48 million is delivered in a lawsuit filed by the family of a cement contractor and construction superintendent diagnosed with mesothelioma after being exposed to Union Carbide asbestos products. 

June 2013 – A woman diagnosed with mesothelioma after being exposed to asbestos while washing her insulator husband’s work clothes over a number of years is awarded $27.3 million in damages. 

July 2013 – A blockbuster $190 million verdict is awarded by a New York jury to tradesmen who filed a claim against two boiler companies for exposing them to asbestos in the workplace.

December 2013 – $8.5 million in damages is awarded to the family of a California refinery worker who was exposed to asbestos while working with pipe insulation, and subsequently died from mesothelioma.

March 2014 – $7.25 million is awarded to the family of a former naval shipyard worker who died from mesothelioma allegedly caused by his exposure to asbestos at the Philadelphia Naval Yard during the 1960s.

January 2014 – A California jury awards $11 million in damages to the family of a mechanic who was exposed to asbestos while working to service and repair heavy duty vehicles between 1994 and 1999.

June 2014 – The family of an auto mechanic who died from mesothelioma is awarded $10.9 million in damages, after it is discovered that the fatal caner was caused by his exposure to asbestos in brake pads and other auto parts. 

June 2014 – An asbestos exposure lawsuit filed on behalf of two electricians in New York who were diagnosed with mesothelioma results in a $25 million verdict for the plaintiffs. 

November 2014 – A mesothelioma lawsuit brought by a former U.S. Navy machinist who was exposed to asbestos on-the-job is awarded $71 million in damages. 

January 2015 – The family of a New York school bus driver who died from mesothelioma cancer is awarded $7.7 million in damages, after it is discovered that he was exposed to asbestos used in clutches, brakes, gaskets and other bus parts. 

June 2015 – An Oklahoma jury awards $6 million in damages to a man diagnosed with mesothelioma after being exposed to asbestos second-hand as a child, and first-hand as an adult.

October 2015 – A verdict of $3.5 million is delivered in a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family of an Alabama woman who died from second-hand exposure to asbestos fibers carried home on her husband’s work clothes.