Court Affirms Jury Verdict Linking Welding Rods to Mesothelioma and Lung Cancer

By Laura Segnit

Published on January 20, 2006

On December 29, the court published its decision to uphold the July 2003 jury verdict in favor of Daniel Tucker and Angel Gomez, two men who worked with asbestos-containing welding rods. Daniel Tucker died prior to the original verdict and Angel Gomez died following the trial.

The jury determined that Lincoln Electric Company and Hobart Brothers Company would have to pay part of a $3.5 million award to Tucker's estate and that Lincoln Electric would have to pay an additional $3.19 million to Gomez.

The NY court's decision to uphold the verdict came soon after another major legal blow to the U.S. welding industry.

On December 20, an Illinois appellate court upheld a 2001, $1 million award against Lincoln, Hobart, and Airco/The BOC Group, Inc. In that trial, the jury determined that manganese fumes from welding rods led the plaintiff to develop Parkinson's Disease.

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