California Woman, Husband Awarded $20 Million in Living Mesothelioma Case

OAKLAND, Calif. - A California couple has been awarded $20 million for a woman's alleged household exposure to asbestos-containing flooring products manufactured by a chemical company. Peterson v. Hill Brothers Chemical Co., 2001-031817 (Calif. Super. Ct., Alameda Cty.).

The Alameda County Superior Court jury returned the verdict June 4, finding the Hill Brothers Chemical Company 100 percent responsible for Karen Peterson's mesothelioma, which she developed after some 18 years of exposure to the company's asbestos-containing cementitious magnesite flooring.

Peterson and her husband, Jeffrey, sued Hill Brothers and several others in 2001 after Karen Peterson was diagnosed with mesothelioma. They alleged …