73 companies are being sued by an elderly couple over asbestos exposure. The couple claims that all of the companies were aware of the asbestos and, thus, should have informed them of the side-effects. The husband was an insulator from 1956 until 1993. During this time, he was exposed to products that contained asbestos. The prosecutors claim that the companies are liable for negligence, misrepresentation, break of implied or expressed warranty, and post-safety duty to warn consumers of the effects of asbestos contained in their products. Essentially, the companies should have informed customers about the asbestos either in the packages or through communication at the point of sale.
However, because they did not, Mauney, the husband, was exposed for nearly four decades. It is now up to the courts to decide if the defendants were negligent. However, it does not look favorable for them as last fall a Florida jury awarded an asbestos victim $20 million.
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