Minnesota Jury Awards Refinery Worker, Wife $8 Million

ST. PAUL, Minn. - A Minnesota jury has awarded a refinery worker more than $8 million in compensatory damages for his alleged exposure to asbestos and subsequent development of mesothelioma. Akin v. A.P.I. Inc., No. 19-C7-00-9467 (Minn. Dist. Ct., Ramsey Cty.).

The Ramsey County jury awarded the record-setting verdict May 15, finding that A.P.I. Inc. was negligent when it sold asbestos products to the Koch Petroleum Group refinery where Joseph Akin worked without warning of the health problems they could cause.

Akin worked as a laborer at Koch Petroleum and often used the products sold by A.P.I., according to his …