Newport News, VA — A Virginia jury has awarded $3.45 million to the relatives of a Chesterfield County man who succumbed to a rare cancer linked to asbestos, holding the manufacturer of the asbestos products accountable decades after the exposure.
James Campbell “Jim” Katcham, a former millwright who passed away at 80 in early 2022, suffered from mesothelioma, a malignant cancer affecting the lung’s lining. The condition has been directly associated with his long-term exposure to asbestos at the DuPont Spruance plant where he worked from 1961 to 1979.
During the 11-day trial at Newport News Circuit Court, the legal team from local firm Patten, Wornom, Hatten, and Diamonstein contested fiercely against representatives from the Boston-based law firm for John Crane Inc., the Illinois manufacturer implicated in the lawsuit. Bobby Hatten, the senior attorney representing the Katcham family, described the courtroom proceedings as a “Battle Royale.”
The lawsuit maintained that the asbestos fibers, invisible to the human eye, tasteless, and odorless, came from gaskets and packing designed by John Crane Inc. used extensively in the plant’s equipment. Workers like Katcham, tasked with maintaining and repairing machinery, were unknowingly in constant contact with these dangerous fibers.
Hatten highlighted during the trial that the dangers of asbestos exposure were already well-known within the scientific community by the 1960s, citing documents from the Illinois Pollution Control Board to John Crane dated back to 1972 that described the risks of mesothelioma from minimal exposure. However, it was not until 1983 that John Crane issued warnings to its customers about the potential dangers of its asbestos products.
Testimonies and expert analyses bolstered the family’s claims, with one medical expert demonstrating through video evidence how special lighting could reveal clouds of asbestos dust that were otherwise invisible. Contrarily, defense experts argued that the exposure levels at the plant were minimal, though this was contested by Hatten referencing prevalent scientific consensus and public health guidelines that even brief exposures to asbestos could lead to serious health issues.
The jury found John Crane Inc. liable for “selling unreasonably dangerous products without warning,” leading to the multimillion-dollar verdict in favor of Katcham’s family. Although the awarded amount fell short of the $12 million sought, Hatten expressed satisfaction with the outcome.
Katcham, before his death, provided a detailed account of how he worked with asbestos-containing materials, noting his lack of awareness of their hazardous nature—a factor that played a crucial role in court proceedings. Patricia Katcham, his widow, testified about the painful deterioration of her husband’s health during the last six months of his life, describing it as a “horrible wasting away” due to the aggressive cancer.
The case, initiated in Newport News, where one of the original defendants, Waco Inc., operates, underscores the legal complexities and emotional weight of asbestos litigation, which has been on a decline in Newport News as the population exposed to asbestos before the 1980s ages. The decision marks a significant recognition of the latent risks industrial workers have faced and the responsibilities companies hold in safeguarding their employees’ health.