Family awarded $13.5 million in asbestos case

By Brian Cole

Published on June 13, 2006

Dallas law firm Baron & Bud P.C. argued that Timothy Shawn Bostic was exposed to asbestos fibers in the 1960s and 1970s while working with his father. It was then that Bostic was frequently exposed to asbestos-containing joint compound made by the Atlanta based tissue products company. The Bostic family’s lawyers said Georgia-Pacific knew the dangers of asbestos as early as 1966 but continued to sell asbestos containing products through 1977.

In 2003, Bostic was diagnosed with mesothelioma, an aggressive cancer affecting the inner lining of the lungs and abdomen. Mesothelioma is only known to be caused by exposure to asbestos. Bostic died in September 2003 at the age of 41.

Georgia-Pacific claims the true cause of Bostic’s illness is exposure to asbestos from products made by other companies.

The family was awarded $6 million in punitive damages and $7.5 million in compensatory damages.

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