Settlement for 69-year-old suffering from mesothelioma

The Dallas law firm of Baron & Budd, P.C., is announcing settlements on behalf of a San Francisco man and his wife against several manufacturers and distributors of asbestos-containing products, including San Ramon, Calif.-based Kaiser Gypsum Company Inc. and Pleasanton, Calif.-based Hanson Permanente Cement Inc.

On July 17, Kaiser Gypsum and Hanson Permanente – previously known as Kaiser Cement – settled with the plaintiffs during the second week of trial in the case before Judge Mary Wiss of the Superior Court of California in San Francisco.

Attorney Eric Brown from Baron & Budd’s Beverly Hills office and Patrick DeBlase from Beverly Hills-based Kiesel, Boucher & Larson LLP represented the gentleman , 69, and his wife in the trial and settlement negotiations.

Baron & Budd's client worked as a plasterer from 1955 until 1997 in the San Francisco Bay area. Testimony in the case showed that he regularly used exterior stucco and joint compound products manufactured and sold by Kaiser Gypsum and Hanson Permanente. In 2006 he was diagnosed with mesothelioma, a cancer caused by exposure to asbestos.

“I’d like to say the settlement will allow John to live out the rest of his life with some comfort, but unfortunately there is no comfort for someone with mesothelioma,” says Russell Budd, managing shareholder of Baron & Budd. “The settlement provides some compensation for the years of life he will lose as a result of his exposure to asbestos.”