CHICAGO–The family of a man who worked for 30 years in U.S. Steel plants in Indiana and Illinois, has won a lawsuit for $5.6 million, which essentially says the company allowed him to work in plants with asbestos, which caused his mesothelioma.
Fred Riebel was 56 when he died in 2016. Eighteen months before he was diagnosed with the lung disease, which is a cancer caused by exposure to asbestos.
Upon his death, the Riebel family sued both BP Amoco and U.S. Steel, saying the companies were aware that the asbestos in their plants could cause cancer, but did nothing to warn Riebel about its dangers.
He worked in various facilities for both companies, not knowing about the potentially fatal effects of the working conditions, said attorneys for the two firms who represented the family, Clifford Law Offices and the Hurt Law Firm of South Carolina.
“The slow and painful death of Mr. Riebel is a tragic story that could have been written differently had these companies protected him from working around asbestos located at their premises,” said attorney James C. Pullos, following the verdict. “His widow and children witnessed what will remain with them the rest of their lives.”
The jury deliberated for 12 hours before announcing their decision Tuesday, after a month-long trial in Chicago.
