A New Jersey Appelate Court has upheld the $7 million verdict awarded to the wife of a New Jersey worker who developed mesothelioma as a result of laundering her husband’s asbestos-laden clothing.

The husband was an employee at the Exxon Refinery in Linden, NJ, and was exposed to asbestos during the process of removing insulation from piping at the plant. While the company equipped the workers with helmets, it did not provide respirators, which would have protected against the asbestos.

The first successful legal action taken against a company for irresponsible exposure to asbestos was a similar case in New Jersey. In 1981, a woman sued the Union Asbestos and Rubber Company for her mesothelioma, which she developed after washing her husband’s clothes.

The court rejected Exxon’s counter-claim that the woman (also an ex-Exxon employee) should have been required to seek benefits under workers’ compensation.

If you or someone you know is seeking advice regarding workers’ compensation, contact the New Jersey workers’ compensation lawyers of Levinson & Axelrod P.A. at 1-888-389-COMP to learn more about your rights.