Jurors Award $4.5 Million in Mesothelioma Lawsuit

MONROE, La. -- A unanimous Louisiana jury has awarded $4.5 million to the surviving family members of a man who was allegedly exposed to asbestos while working at a paper mill. Walter T. Graves Jr. v. Riverwood International Corporation, et al, No. 00-1748 (La. 4th Dist. Ct., Parish of Ouachita).

The verdict was returned August 4 in the Louisiana Fourth District Court for the Parish of Ouachita, awarding the family of Walter Graves Jr. $500,000 for Graves' physical pain and suffering; $1 million for mental and emotional anguish; $3 million for loss of enjoyment of life; and nearly $40,000 for …