From Diagnosis to Justice: Richmond Vona’s Relentless Fight for My Mesothelioma Case
Asbestos Exposure: A Mesothelioma Diagnosis, 50 Years Later
On New Year’s Eve in 2020, a woman called Richmond Vona’s office to ask for help. She had been diagnosed with mesothelioma, a rare and aggressive form of cancer tied to secondhand asbestos exposure, 50 years after she first encountered the deadly mineral. Our client was seeking an attorney with the help of her son and daughter-in-law, who gave her Co-Founder and CEO John E. Richmond’s phone number. John came to visit the client a few days later.
What made our client’s story especially heartbreaking was that her illness resulted not from her own workplace, but from years spent caring for her family.
The Dangers of Asbestos Exposure
Our client’s husband was exposed to asbestos while working as a millwright at industrial plants in Western New York, including Spaulding Fibre in Tonawanda. Starting in the 1960s and continuing for decades, he regularly worked around pumps, valves, boilers, and other equipment that used asbestos-containing gaskets and insulation.
Each day, her husband unknowingly brought home asbestos fibers on his work clothes, which Our client would wash for him. Like most people of the time, neither truly understood the danger of the substances they were exposed to.
While her husband was exposed to asbestos at work for decades, our client’s diagnosis came from secondhand asbestos exposure—inhaling fibers from her husband’s work clothes—and didn’t develop until 50 years later. Her story is a tragic reminder of how long the potential for asbestos-related diseases can linger before an illness strikes.
Holding Companies Responsible through Fierce Litigation
Western New York has a dark history of asbestos exposure, with blue-collar families like this one, facing the consequences for companies’ reckless and harmful conduct. As a local firm, Richmond Vona is deeply familiar with the area’s past and is passionate about getting justice for those impacted.
Asbestos exposure cannot be undone, and mesothelioma cannot be cured. But our firm can help exposure victims prepare for the future while fighting to hold companies accountable for knowingly poisoning our community.
John and his team carefully investigated her husband’s work history, piecing together the sources of his asbestos exposure and building a strong case. We took the fight to the companies responsible, fiercely litigating our client’s case until we won the justice her family deserved.
Seven-Figure Settlement for Our Client and her Family
After securing a settlement for our client, John called her to give her the good news: She had won a seven-figure award, giving her family financial security to prepare for dealing with her illness and plan for the future. Our client said John was competent and meticulous, yet personable, making her feel less like a client and more like an ordinary person he was concerned about.
The experienced New York mesothelioma lawyers with Richmond Vona are ready to help you manage your diagnosis, hold asbestos companies accountable, and win your family the justice you deserve. Contact us online or call 716-500-5678 today for a free consultation.
