BOSTON– A Massachusetts jury has returned an $83 million verdict against American Art Clay Company, finding the ceramics supplier liable for the mesothelioma death of a Greenfield woman exposed to asbestos in its products.
The award includes $60 million in punitive damages after jurors concluded the company engaged in “malicious, willful, wanton, or reckless conduct” by concealing the dangers of asbestos and failing to warn consumers. The jury also granted $10 million for pain and suffering to Judith A. Lapointe, who died in November 2021 just weeks after her diagnosis, and $13 million to her husband, Michael Lapointe, for his loss.
“This lawsuit is about justice for a life unnecessarily cut short because of the choices that this company made to conceal the truth about the dangers of asbestos in its products,” said trial attorney Rachel Gross of Iola, Gross & Forbes-King, which represented the family.
Evidence presented at trial showed Lapointe was exposed to asbestos fibers from the 1950s through the 1990s through her mother’s use of pottery clay. Attorneys argued that company officials knew, or should have known, about the health risks associated with asbestos as early as the 1960s but took no steps to warn users.
Mesothelioma, a rare cancer of the lungs and internal organs, has only one known cause: asbestos exposure.
The case marks the second multimillion-dollar asbestos verdict won by Iola, Gross & Forbes-King in recent weeks. On August 28, the firm secured a $12.25 million award for a woman in Upstate New York in a lawsuit against Vanderbilt Minerals.
This latest judgment is believed to be the largest asbestos-related verdict ever awarded in Massachusetts.
The case is Michael A. Lapointe, individually and as personal representative of the Estate of Judith A. Lapointe v. American Art Clay Company, No. 2181CV06597, in Massachusetts Superior Court. The trial team included Sam Iola of Iola, Gross & Forbes-King; Michael P. Joyce and Rafael Colmenares of the Law Offices of Michael P. Joyce; and Joe Belluck of Belluck Law Firm.
