$3 Million Awarded to Wife of Potter in Asbestos Case

By Brian Cole

Published on December 11, 2006

Peter Stanley Hirsch, owner and operator of three pottery studios, was diagnosed with mesothelioma, an aggressive form of lung cancer which is known to be caused only by asbestos, in September 2002. He died in April 2004 at age 53.

His wife of 22 years, Bonnie L. Parker, said her husband’s life was taken away prematurely, but the verdict was a form of vindication for her husband’s death. Her husband started the suit, and she carried it on after his death.

The jury verdict is the first of its kind in the nation. Never before has a verdict dealt with the harm posed by asbestos in industrial talc, said Carmen St. George, Parker’s lawyer. Mr. Parker is believed to have inhaled industrial talc during the glazing process of his pottery making.

The $3 million was awarded in compensatory damages. The same jury is now set to meet to discuss punitive damages.